Oh Somewhere Deep, Inside of These Bones
by redheadclover
Summary: She had no memory or who she is and where she came from, but she's on a misson to send fairytale characters on the right path. As a shapeshifter, she was a mouse for Cinderella, a cat for Alice, a goldfish for Pinnochio, and a horse for Belle. But now it's her turn to find her destiny, with the help of the heroes of Storybrook ((OC X OC))
1. Chapter 1

**Phuket, Thailand**

 **October 2011**

 _"Ma'am, the long it takes for you to answer the questions we have for you, the longer you're gonna sit on your sorry ass and stay locked up here."_ I had to roll my eyes at this since this was not even close to being a serious thing for me to take. I was sitting in an interrogation room, hands cuffed to the table now and my own leg tapping, a nervous habit that I inherited for quite a long time. The boring room I was in was duller than the previous one they caught me in. But here's the thing about.

I've broken out before.

I have no real record as to where I came from originally, but I know where I have been. It's one thing to know your birthday, but I don't even know that. Sad as it is, I don't even know my own parents, or where I grew up. It sounds both said a typical, with no records or information on me to who where I came from, and yet I was so used to it now. I was used to being alone, used to not having someone near to me since I was constantly moving because of my the job description at hand. All of that was a huge blur to me, the only thing I do remember is waking up in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the forest with no clear mindset as to what was going on to me. The only thing in front of me was an old beggar woman who looked hideous at first, yet she was looking at me with interest and caution in her stance. But after a moment or two when I asked here where I was and if she could help me, she then transformed within a magnificent light, into an Enchantress.

You heard me right: an Enchantress.

She told me I had a purpose, that I had a gift for helping people that needed help and guide them when they needed guidance. I had no idea as to why she wanted me to do such a thing, but she reassured me that she had a divine plane for me. To hear from Enchantress that she had a plan for me was already bizarre enough, but then again I had nothing else to loose and nothing else that was a part of me, a part of my past.

All except for one thing: a small necklace that has a pendant of thread wrapped around a bobbin. That was it. All of my history and past was placed there within that necklace, and I wondered why I couldn't remember a thing.

Another thing that I had that was a mystery: scars. Scars all over.

It was like I was carved into, someone was trying to retrieve something in my body that made me sorry or wonder why I had these scars. But then again, they weren't that vibrant, curves along my arms, a cross on my neck, lines digging into my calves and along my hips. But the worst, the most noticeable, were the two faint lines near my mouth, one on each corner. Like I was trying to smile bigger than before, it was bizarre to see on my face then. It made me more confused as to where I came from, what happened to me to look like this, and why I was in the Goddamn forest.

Ever since then, I've been roaming around from place to place, trying to keep my eyes down and completely every task that was given to me. I only had one backpack with a handful of cash, my necklace that I wore ever day, a few shirts and pants, and a mission that I knew I had to complete. There was nothing left to lose, nothing else to really to back to, except for a promise made to me from the very fairy who found me in the forest with no memory and no real recollection of what happened to my life. I remember that talk with her perfectly like it was yesterday.

* * *

"I can't retrieve your memories," Enchantress reassured me in a kind manner, having me stand in front of her in front of the forest with the necklace out in front of me in a clenched fist and a worried look on my face. I thought she would have some reason to help me since she was a fairy or at least someone whom I thought would help. But it broke my heart already, knowing she had no real answer for me.

"However," she said to me, having me look at her now in curiosity, "If you help me guide others, lead them onto a good path and make good decisions, then I can help find more pieces to your past."

"Pieces," I said to the fairy now in skepticism,"You make it sound like I'm a lost cause."

"No one really is, not to me," Enchantress countered back at me with her kind tone.

"I don't know who I am, where I am from, and I'm supposed to just trust you in bringing back my memories?" I asked her, seeing her just smile and nod her head at me.

"I have enough magic to get you some of your memories, but not all of it. I'm not that power and I don't have enough magic though to tap into your mind and retrieve your memories that are there." She explained to me, having me sigh and look down at the bobbin necklace pendant. It was all I had to find out about my past, all that I can hold onto and hope that I could find some kind of answer.

"What do I have to lose?" I said to myself now, trying to find some hope in the situation.

"I know you are lost," She said to me, having me look at her again,"And I want to help you find a purpose and find your way back to where you came from."

"What can I do for you? I don't even know what I can do." I said to her now with no sense of hope in my voice now.

"It doesn't hurt to try to see what you can do," She said to me.

* * *

And that was when I decided I have nothing else to do or to hold onto. I decided to follow this Enchantress if she was powerful enough to help me find my way and get my memories back, then I can trust her.

And I did.

Since I said yes to Enchantress, I have helped those whom she seemed fit that needed help and she gave me such an ability that made it possible. At first, I didn't think it was physically possible, but once gave me the ability to do so, I was floored on what I could do and how I could do it.

I could shapeshift. Plain and simple.

The magic she gave me was enough to transform to whom she wanted me to be for a certain individual that she wanted me to help with, almost like I was working in her favor. it was annoying at first, that much of certain. How could I trust an Enchantress to be willing to have my body transform for her? She reassured me that it was my kind heart, my kind soul and the trait of loyalty that she sense in me that made me capable of such things. It made me, in a certain time, once a cat to guide a young girl into a rabbit hole, a goldfish to keep a close eye on a puppet, a horse who carried a young woman to an enchanted castle, and a mouse to have a young girl fulfill her dreams at a ball.

I know, it sounds so stupid and plain to become animals, not to mention at different realms and worlds, but with the purpose that came with those animals made it more than what it seemed. I was helping others, guiding them on the right path and not leading them astray, that or keeping an eye out for someone whom the Enchantress wanted me to watch and observe. Either way, I was going more places than I thought possible and seeing things that I never thought would be real.

Which lead me to sit in a chair in this handcuffs in this interrogation room. Great.

 _"I told you, I don't know what happened back there with that fire,"_ I said to the policeman, who was leering at me now with a scowl on his face. At this point, at 2 in the morning and my leg was still twitching, I wanted nothing more than to disappear and get out of there before anything else happened to me. Enchantress sent me to Thailand, in the remote place of Phuket, in order to fulfill my next mission and to help the next person that she seemed fit that needed guidance. She didn't me who it was, only that I would know who it would be from the moment I saw him. This wasn't the first time I ended up in cuffs because of a bad case of miscommunication. I just happened to be at the fire at the very wrong time, since a certain villain was trying to set me on fire with me knowing why. Well, I did know why: I was in the way of him trying to kill the very person I wanted to save and protect. Enchantress wouldn't tell me who it was that I was trying to save, only that it was of great peril that I went to find him. But once I got there, the old Villian and his mass army of puppets who were possessed got the best of me and set the building up in flames in hopes that they killed me.

 _"I'll keep you in here until you decide to open that trap of yours and talk,"_ he said to me, walking away from me now and leaving the file there on the metal table as he walked out of the door. I sighed, leaning back and trying got find a way that I could get out of here without anyone seeing me. There were no cameras since this was another small town hat had on real money in the thought of placing cameras in the room. It was simple enough, which made glad that this was going to be easier than it has been before.

The picture of my mugshot was on the top of the file, having me peer down at the file in front of me and smirk at what I was seeing. There I was, holding the sign with my name and the serial number on the top of it. I was curvy, to be honest, but built too since the constant running and fending for myself. My hair was short, an auburn color with a mix of orange in it and chopped to my jawline, way and angular with the current hair trend of today. I had bright green eyes, pale skin that almost looked like the marble if stature in the light of the picture, and of course, my scars along my face and near my mouth.

I had what they could call the Glasgow smile scar: two lines on the corners of my mouth, making a bigger grin that would both seem haunting and scary to look at for far too long. No wonder they thought I was a criminal, I looked the part to be sure. People must have thought I was in some huge fight or was an assault from a past lover or my father if it was true, but I had no choice but to wear it. Fortunately, the make-up technology was flawless in making my scars less daunting and more like faint lines along my skin. I would wear it every day, both in shame and in wonder as to where I came from. If there I was one thing I was ashamed in my quest for answers and my past, it was my scars.

"Okay, how am I going to get out of this one," I said to myself now under my breath as I was looked around for some kind of way out of the room. There had to be some kind of weak spot, a way that someone very small, almost like an animal could get into. It had me draw my eyes up to the vents above me, seeing the vent right above me on the ceiling and how it was leading out of the room. I smirked.

Perfect.

* * *

Walking down the street with my hands shoved in my pockets, I looked back behind me once more to see the police station there, no one moving and no one raising the alarm at all. I grinned walking in front of me again and aiming to go back to my apartment that I knew would be down the street. I thought I was in the clear, another escape routine that I was so used to since I happened to always be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I then heard it from behind me that made me panic:

Sirens. Shit.

I ran, pumping my arms and legs as fast as I could down the street now as I could hear cars starting and the sirens were getting louder. Did the know it was me? I thought I was sneaky enough to get away, but I was far from being right then as I turned the corner now and into the building I was aiming for. Ducking away and barely seeing the cop car flying past me down the street, I sighed in relief and leaned by lead against the wall, people walking by and seeing me with confused looks as I sighed in relief.

This was not the plan so far.

* * *

"I didn't think you would be in trouble with the law so soon," Enchantress said to me now with a stern look on her face as I was talking to me via a mirror, the only way we would ever communicate at that point. I sighed, looking at her with a hint of annoyance there on my face as I was sitting on my couch, Indian Style, with my jacket in my hands and sewing another patch to the fabric since it was ripped from my escape. That was another thing about me that I picked up really quick, I knew how to sew.

Hell, I sewn most, if not all, of my clothes that I had with new patches and new pieces if it was ever damaged or ripped. It came naturally to me for some reason, but I didn't mind. It was some sense of peace for me, having a thread and needle in my hand and between my fingers, and I wondered if it had something to do with my past. Was I this good in my past? Where did I learn this trade from? More questions for my mind to fill as I glared at Enchantress. For one, she was beyond beautiful, making me look hideous in comparison in how she would smile and light up a room, or how her hair would flow and wave like it was water yet it was golden like the sun.

"I'm sorry, but that fire that nothing to do with me. They only singled me out because I was a foreigner. Besides, that Stromboli freak of nature was waiting for me since he knew I was going there." I explained to her.

"But it still is not right for you to end up in that position," She scolded me, having me nod in agreement.

"I know, and I am sorry on how it was played," I said to her, placing the jacket down next to me and getting up to face the mirror she was using on the wall opposite of me, "I just….I don't know how much longer you want from me with this whole 'guide people's lives and help them' kind of life. I want to know what's going to happen to me, and all you have given me is the only piece of information that I came from the world that no longer affiliated with the Enchanted Forest…or any other realm you've set me in for that matter."

"I understand your frustrations, truly I do," She said to me, having me roll my eyes, "But there is more at stake than you can imagine."

"Like what?" I asked her, annoyed now since it sounded like she was putting off my own destiny and past for another mission.

"I have found Pinocchio." I was floored when she said that to me, having me almost fall back onto my couch again when she said those four words. The one person, back when I knew him he was a boy, whom I thought was long lost within this world. Did she find finally him?

"He's alive? In this realm?" I asked her now in shock.

"Alive as you are now," She replied to me, having me breathe out slowly with this new information, "He is the reason why you are here."

"How is that possible?" I asked her in stunned disbelief.

"I cannot answer that for you, but he is here in the city." Enchantress explained to me calmly again.

"He's my mission, here in Phuket? Why is he here in the first place?" I asked her, more questions coming to my mind now as I remembered my time with him when he was a mere puppet. She could sense that I was getting worried about him and held up her hand for me to fall silent again now.

"He has strayed from all that he was taught by The Blue Fairy. He has forgotten to be brave, truthful and unselfish, and you are here to remind him of what his purpose is." She explained to me.

"Does this mean he's a puppet again?" I asked him, "I thought that was part of the deal."

"No, The curse that is over him is permitting him from turning into a puppet again, but the decisions he has not made it easier for him to go on his mission." I raised an eyebrow to her then, not understand that Pinocchio was on his own mission too, not just being a regular real boy. I had no idea that this was real enough, or that he was within this timeline of a world.

"What mission?" I asked her, not understanding what truly was going on.

"That is not important in this matter, you need to find him and make sure he is safe. He goes by the name August W. Booth now in this world, and he is in danger." She explained to me now, having me rethink this whole situation once more. My heart was still hurting for hearing what was going on with the boy I once knew, the puppet I once knew. If only he knew what he was doing to himself and how this was going to affect him later. But now I still had a mission, to find him and make sure he was going to be safe. For some reason, Enchantress wanted me to find him for some great importance. I could see it on her face, this was a mission that was vital for me to fulfill.

"Where is he now?"

One rule about my line of work with Enchantress: Never give away why you're there. You're not supposed to tell whomever you're trying to guide that you're there to be their guide. It's not appropriate to give away your real reason that you're there, or that you're human in the first place. I never did that, not once since I started helping Enchantress, and she once again reminded me that Pinocchio, or August Booth for that matter, must not know who I was when I first met him. Way to kill a reunion there, Enchantress.

I weaved my way through the dark alleys of the Phuket, hearing people around me inter native language as I walked with my head down and my hoodie over my face now as I was looking for the young boy I thought I knew, I thought I saw turn into a really boy, and whom I thought would change. It still confused as to why he would be here, at all places and in this much trouble for me to be sent by Enchantress. I could only remember what Pinocchio said to The Blue Fairy at one time when they first met and I was merely watching from the side when I knew I wasn't supposed to be watching:

 _"Yes, Pinocchio. I have given you life."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because of tonight, Geppetto wished for a real boy."_

 _"Am I a real boy?"_

 _"No, Pinocchio. To make Geppetto's wish come true will be entirely up to you."_

 _'"To me?"_

 _"Prove yourself brave, truthful and unselfish, and someday you will be a real boy."_

If only those things were simple again, and that they were real. I knew I would go into worlds that the Enchantress would send me to help those in need, but this was the first time a magical being would be in the real world, and I would stay in the real world and help them. I could only think of the worst that happened to Pinocchio if he was a real boy in this world or something, or someone else really.

* * *

Walking down the alleyway some more, I saw someone moving past me in a fast rate that I had to move to the side now to get out of her way. She looked stern like she came from a bad fight. I watched her with my eyes now as she kept walking at a fast pace and I was about to follow her when I heard someone crying, almost like a broken sob breaking into the bustle of the alleyway. I shot a looked back over there, somehow that sob sounded familiar. I knew that sound, I hear sit before and it made it walk ever faster towards the end of the alleyway, hoping that I wasn't going to find what I thought it was.

At the dead end of the alley, I someone on the floor on their back, weeping like they were just shot in the chest or something of that nature. I looked down to see who it was since others were passing him by now as I walked a bit closer, hoping to know that this was the one I was looking for. It was a full grown man, still young enough to be considered to be in his early 30's maybe, of not his late 20's. He had brown hair, wavy and short and shoved to the side as his handsome yet broken face was seeing weeping to the sky now. He was alone, and I could tell be was beyond broken now as I didn't know what to do then.

"Sir?" I asked him, hearing him subtly stop his sobbing on the ground and now sniffle a moment or two when he heard my voice. I had a hunch that this was him, the same person whom I knew long ago, but I had to make sure. He opened his eyes and looked at me now, bloodshot and glistening with tears. But it was the color of his eyes that made me remember: they were blue. I was brought back to a moment when I saw a puppet turn into a real boy, having me lose my breath now as I locked eyes with the man. I remembered.

 _"Father, whatcha crying for?"_

 _"Because…you're dead, Pinocchio."_

 _"No! No, I'm not!"_

 _"Yes, Yes you are. Now, lie down."_

 _"But father, I'm alive see? And…and I'm…I'm a real boy!"_

It was him, the very boy whom I thought was long lost so many years ago when I left him and Geppetto. I snapped out of it now as he was looking at me, this full grown man with tears in his eyes as I then knelt down.

"Are you alright?" I asked him, trying to sound soothing and calm as he was looking at me up and down like he knew me. He couldn't have known me, I was not who he thought I was when we saw each other last, "Let me help you up."

"I'm….I'm okay." He said to me, having me analyze him and see that he was lying to me about it since he was no longer crying, but he looked like he was still hurt about it.

"You don't have to lie to me, sir," I reassured him kindly, "Let me get you on your feet." I grabbed him by his arm and hoisted him up onto his feet, feeling in grunt a bit and stagger as he eyed me again from his spot. He was taller than me to be certain, making me pushing my hoodie up from my eyes now for him to see my face clearly.

"Thank you," he replied, his voice sounded warm and get staggering from his sobbing. I just smiled at him.

"Do you have a place to stay?" I asked him, seeing him sighed and look around like he was certainly lost.

"Not really no," He replied to me.

"I can tell, you're a tourist." I joked with him, hearing a small chuckle from his lips now as I pointed back towards the front of the alleyway,"I'm a tourist too, but I can take you back to my flat if you need to find a place."

"No, it's okay—" He started with me.

"Look, I can see that you're not in the best place at the moment and you don't have a place to crash. I don't want to leave you out here by yourself if you have nowhere to go." I explained to him hoping and praying that he would at least consider coming with me. He was my mission after all, and I was not going to let him slip out of my sight. Not again. He looked at me after a short pause, making sure that what I was saying was true and that I was there to help him. I just smile at him, trying to show no harm and no foul on my part. He took the bait.

"Sure….that'd be great." He replied, a small smile on his lips now.

It was the start of a wild adventure for me,


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you need me to do with him?" I was once again having a conversation with Enchantress now in front of my mirror in the bathroom, leaving August to sit there in my living room of my condo there with a glass of water and more pondering to have for himself. I was worried that what I wanted to do was going to ruin everything, but then again I had to ask her for approval. She knew that this was against her wishes, and that I could be in bigger trouble than ever before, but then again I wanted him to know that he was, and God willing, still is my friend.

"Convince him to go back to Storybrooke, Maine." She explained to me simply, "You need to plant the idea for him to go back and he must do so on his own."

"And I'm just…nudging him on his way?" I asked her.

"Exactly, nothing more or less," She replied back, having myself nod in agreement. It seemed simple enough for me to talk to him, but how I was going to do it seemed tricky. This wasn't any kind of cat and mouse chase, or nudging someone on a right path. I was no animal, I was a human now and it would be trickier than I thought.

"I have a request…" I asked her, breaking the silence that was there for a moment or two as she looked at me with interest, "I know that I was never supposed to meet Pinocchio in the first place, that was by chance. And I know you have a real of me revealing my true nature to those you want me to help," She could see where I was going with this and a firm look was on her face, "But come on, give me this one time to let him know who I am. He knows me, or at least I would hope he would remember me."

"You cannot break the rules here," She reminded me.

"I know, I know. But as of thus far, I did not break one rule of yours. I have been faithful to your world, performed every task to the best of my ability, and I haven't ever failed." I reminded her too, seeing her think to herself now and I prayed silently that she could let I have this one time to explain myself and to really be a friend instead of another runner, "He needs a friend more than anything, not another conscience since that worked out real well. I'm probably the closest thing to a friend that he has right now."

"You have done a good amount of work for me these past years," Enchantress agreed with me, having me nod in agreement and in earnest,"If I give you this one opportunity to do good by him and explain yourself, you must promise me not to expose yourself ever again to others that may come in the future."

"I will! I promise!" I said to her in a hushed tone, trying not to sound like a crazy person and have August hear me talk to nothing or no one. That would be a great vision of this reunion for sure.

"Alright, I can let you do this once and once only. Understand?" Enchantress reminded me, having me sigh in relief and grin at her now, "Only tell him what is required for him to fulfill his purpose."

"Of course, Enchantress." I said back to her, seeing the vision of her in the mirror disappear and now it was back to a regular mirror now, my reflection there for me to see. I was still pondering on how I got the scars there upon my skin and my face. It was the Glasgow smile scars on my cheeks and near my lips were already making me sick, how was August supposed to recognize me and see past the faint lines there engraved in my skin? I was still trying to understand it myself and how this happened to me.

"Get it together," I said to myself, fixing my hair like I was going on some kind of date, "This is only August, you know him and he knows you…God, I hope he knows you." It was another fear that I had: what if he doesn't remember me? That would be beyond embarrassing and saddening for me to think about and wonder if it was real. I had to think of the best, not of the worst. So I went with my gut, and hopefully with a full heart.

I walked out of the bathroom, going down the hallway a bit and a bit stunned from what I was seeing there. There was August, walking around the small living room that I was living in and he was looking at the decorations that I had there. I would collect a few things here and there on my travels and from all of the tasks that I did. There was a playing card that was the Ace of Spades, a wooden small toy whale with engravings on the side and along the top, a small traveling sewing kit, and an antique 18th century tea set that was light purple and a hint of yellow. They were placed throughout the living room: The tea set on the coffee table, the wooden whale on the kitchen counter near the corner, the Ace of Spades in a photo frame and perched not he bookcase and the sweeping kit on the nightstand near the couch. I watched him for only a moment, thinking and assuming that he was going to get the hints from my past trinkets of my line of work.

"I like your place, it's…cozy." He replied, having me smile at him. No hint so far. Not yet.

"Thank you," I replied, walking over to him as he made his way tot he couch, sitting down in an awkward manner as I sat in the chair next to him, having me still see him watch the trinkets around the room.

"You don't have a whole lot of things," He said in observance.

"Well, I travel plenty of times, so I can't have a lot of things with me," I replied back to August, seeing him nod slowly as he was drinking it all in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name yet," He said to me, slowly holding out his hand for me to shake. I didn't want to give away who I was to him, not this early in the conversation, "I'm August."

"August," I repeated, seeing him smile at me as I shook his hand, "a unique name."

"I've gotten that a lot," He said to me as I grinned at him. It made me wonder what name I was going to give him. I still wanted him to know who I was, and yet I didn't want to start this reunion off with a lie of what my name was, that didn't seem right at all by me.

"I'm Cleo." I replied to him, seeing him raise his eyebrow at me now with interest. I didn't lie to him, it was the truth that it was my name.

"Sounds a bit foreign." He commented, having my chuckle.

"Well, It's better than having any normal name really," I admitted to him, then eyeing him up and down as we were kind of getting more aquatinted with him,"So…August…what brought you to Phuket?" August paused, already I was worried that I got a wrong cord with him since we just started to talk to each other again now as he thought to himself for a quick second. I could tell, how he was thinking and sitting in the couch, he was thinking of a lie.

"I think I was running away from where I needed to be," He replied, having it sound so smooth from his mouth and yet like he was walking barefoot on gravel, with a waviness there heard. I said nothing as he said this, having me see him let out a shaky nervous laugh and shake his head like he was hating himself for saying that to me.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that," He said to me, almost in a stammer as I shook my head at him.

"It's fine, nothing to worry about," I reassured,"Phuket is a place where people run to to get away."

"Is that why you're here?" He asked me, having me have the turn of pausing and thinking about why I was really there.

"More like searching than running," I said back to him. He eyed me, a bit of suspicion there on his face then as I smiled and folded my hands there on my knees, "I came here because of my job."

"Your job?" He asked, having me nod as he tilted his head at me,"What kind of job do you have?"

"I go to find people, help them when they can't help themselves." I explained to him calmly, not wanting to give it away just yet. He seemed more confused by it as I waited for him to say something, anything really now as I sat there near him.

"You find people…and help them?" He asked me.

"I call it more like a guidance kind of a job." I corrected him,"I make sure the ones whom I find are going on the right path." I could tell the wheels were turning in his head now, having me seeing him then slowly look away from me as he was thinking more and more about my job and what I told him,

"Were you looking for someone?" He asked me cautiously now, my fingers were now fiddling there within my folded hands and I took in a hesitant breath.

"I was," I replied calmly now, then seeing him lookout me now in a new light. I was hoping that the way that I was looking at him, he would see what I was doing with him and why I was really there. He then looked away from me, over to where the wooden whale was, really looking at it as if he was trying to find out if I was freaky enough to send him out the way. I waited, seeing him slowly get up now and walk over to the whale that was sitting on the counter.

He reached out to it, having me slowly see that something went off in his head now as he touched the wooden grain with his fingers. As soon as he touched it, however, I saw something in him shift. His stance was rigid like he made a discovery as he held the whale in both of his hands. He knew, he found it and he knew that I was meant for more.

"I know this I…" He trailed off, looking at the whale thoroughly as he went on,"I've seen this before."

"You have." I affirmed him, seeing him shake his head.

"These carvings, it's familiar to me," He explained to me as he was looking at each curve of the carvings, "Where did you get this?" He asked quietly like he was trying to see that this was real enough for him.

"It was given to me," I said to him slowly as he then whirled around, whale in one hand and then a shocked look on his face as he witness the carvings along the top and the side of the whale. I slowly got up from the couch as he traced his fingers on the carvings like he was the carpenter smoothing out the last bit of his creation.

"Who gave it to you?" He asked, and yet I said nothing since I knew he knew the answer now as he looked at me, dead on in the face and I could tell this was about to be awkward for him.

"Who gave it to you?" August asked again, his voice was a bit bolder now as I cringed a bit. I was not expecting him to sound so bold with me, but then again I saw that one coming as I sighed and shoved my hands in my pockets.

"Look at the name on the bottom," I said to him simply, seeing him frown at me before looking back at the whale in his hand, Painfully slowly, he turned the whale onto its belly and read the name on the wood. It took him a moment before he went into almost a shock there in the middle of the room, dropping the whale onto the floor now and having the sound of the wood hitting the wooden floor ring into the room. He was frozen solid there, his hands at his sides and they were shaking from the shock there on his face and with his eyes, so wide and filled with horror.

"Monstro," I said to him, knowing that it was the same name that was underneath the whale on the wood now as I took one step over to him now as he was still so frozen on his spot, "Your father gave that to me when I helped him some time ago as payment."

"How do you know my papa?" He asked me, sounding almost shocked and bitter at the same time as he was drilling his eyes into me now, no longer showing warmth there but unsatisfaction.

"Your father's name is Gepetto," I explained to him, seeing his eyes go wide as he took a step away from me and held out his hands in front of him, like he was ready to push me away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." August tried to lie to me, but I shook my head in reply to that.

"You were never good at lying, not even when you were a puppet," I replied back to him calmly now, his breathing going shallow now as he was shaking his head again, "The Blue Fairy gave you life as a puppet, since Gepetto wanted a child. I saw you, I watched you turn from a puppet to a real boy after you saved your papa from Monstro."

"Stop it! Stop!" He said to me in a booming tone, having me wait for him to run his fingers in his hair now to calm himself down as he looked back down at the carved whale on the floor near his foot.

"Gepetto made this: you know his work," I said to August with a bit of boldness there in my tone now as he was watching me again, "Your father made toys for the children in the village because he didn't have a son of his own, and he made a puppet which turned into you: Pinocchio."

"I don't go by that name anymore!" he said to me now, having me see that I finally got to him and who he was. After he yelled this at me, he paused and once again breathed out a shaky breath before closing his eyes in defeat, "I…I don't go by that."

"Your papa still calls you that," I said to him, seeing him open his eyes and watch me,"He wants you home, Pinocchio. Gepetto still believes in you, as does the Blue Fairy."

"And who are you?" He asked me, taking a step towards me and kicking the whale with his foot while he was doing this and I watch him as anger was coming over him,"How do you know about me and my papa?"

"I know more about you than you can give me credit for," I answered,"I was there when you breathed for the first time as a puppet, and I sure as hell was there when you turned into a real boy." He was shocked again, anger was still laced there and he was eyeing me up and down now as he then took a step back from me now, eyeing me up and down with a hint go shock there.

"Cleo?" He asked me, the shock was there on his face as I nodded my head once,"Cleo…as in…the fish?"

"That's me." I said to him.

"How can you be a human but I remember you as a fish?" He asked me now, pointing at me with one finger now, "That's not possible! It can't be."

"Don't underestimate the power of magic, Pinocchio," I advised him, "I was there the whole time in that fishbowl, seeing it all happen."

"And I thought I saw everything," he said, sitting on the couch in defeat and holding his head in his hands. I felt bad then, knowing that this was all dumped on him whether he was ready for it or not. So I just sat in the chair again, new him but not near enough to freak him out. He needed time to drink in the fact that I used to be a goldfish that Gepetto had in his workshop. It all seemed too good to be true for him to realize and find as fact more than fiction, but after a second or so, he looked over at me now. I could tell he was still skeptical about it as I waited for him patiently.

"Why were you there…back when I was a puppet and you were a fish.." He trailed off.

"Goldfish," I corrected him.

"Right, a freaking goldfish, when you're a human right now?" He asked me, having me look down at my hands and see the faint lines there along my knuckles and around my fingers. I breathed out deeply, thinking that there was no other way than to explain to him what happened how it all began with me, and most importantly, where was I in his story.

"I don't quite know where to start."

* * *

 **(Flaback, Village near Enchanted Forest)**

"Wait!" I heard from the mirror I was carrying in my backpack, having me skid to a halt now as I was running along the many small-town building and homes in the small village. It was near midnight now, the bright stars were out in the night to luminate the streets for me to see. I was on my way over to the nest destination, and yet Enchantress wanted me to go onto another detour before I went off again.

"Why are we here?" I asked, looking over my shoulder now, seeing that inside my backpack was glowing slightly from the mirror I was using to talk to Enchantress.

"Go to the window of the toy shop." She said to me kindly now, having me look over to the one light that was still on in all of the rows of shops. I walked over, my boots hitting the streets and echoing through the normal night there in what seemed to be an old town with the history behind it.

"What am I going to see?" I asked her, way more curious than anything now as I approached the high window, having me go onto my tiptoes now and place my hands on the windowsill now. I could see plenty and plenty of toys, all wooden and all of different shapes and sizes now as they were on the walls, on the tabletops and overflowing in the display cases. It looked magical to me, way too magical to be real.

"I want you to witness a miracle." She explained from my backpack now as I saw a older man, almost frail really but there was pep in his step, and he was walking over to one of his workman tables, a small yet almost completely puppet was there and sitting lifeless against the wall and his head tilted to the floor.

"Is that a puppet?" I asked her now, more intrigued than anything as the man was painting a smile on the puppet and having me watch. A small kitten, black and white along the paws and belly, was swishing his paw the strings as I saw a fishbowl with a goldfish there, looking too at the sight.

"It won't be for long, the Blue Fairy is going to grant his wish." Enchantress explained to me as I then took off the backpack to retrieve the mirror, holding it in my hands now as her face was in front of my own.

"What is his wish?" I questioned.

"Geppetto wished for a child for quite some time, and now his wish will come true as the puppet will come alive for him." She explained, having me notice that the lights went out. I hurried back over to the window, placing the mirror back in my hand as I noticed no one was around anymore. Geppetto must have gone to sleep now as the puppet was still lifeless against the wall.

"I wanted you to remember his face." The Enchantress informed me, having me look at her in confusion again since now it involved me apparently.

"Why should I remember a puppet?" I asked.

"Because this puppet will come along a path that is not right for him, and you'll be the only one to bring him back." She explained, making me look at her now in wonder since it was all sounding so unreal.

"I'm the one?" I asked, thinking already that I was going to have a burden that would be too much to handle. I was about to ask one more thing from her to understand more that was going to be needed from me when I saw something now shining in the room again, but it was glowing almost a tinted blue. I looked back again into the room, the whole area was shining a bright blue light within seconds that I would have to protect my eyes from what was almost blinding me. Within a moment, the shimmering dimmed and I was able to lower my hand from my eyes, seeing that it was the form of a heavy creature, dressed in blue robes and with the faintest look of wings behind her. She was radiant, having me loose breath as he was holding her wand, looking at Pinocchio with a loving gaze that a mother would give.

"Good Geppetto, you have given so much happiness to others, that you deserve to have your wish come true." The fairy said to the puppet now as Enchantress spoke up to me once more.

"This is the blue fairy." Enchantress explained to me as I watched the so-called Blue Fairy talk to Pinocchio now with kindness in her face, "She has the vast amount of power to turn this puppet into a boy."

"And she thinks he needs guidance?" I asked her, not feeling real great about having the job compared to the vast powerful magic of a fairy.

"He needs a conscience, a personal guide to know right and wrong, how to take the narrow path of good," Enchantress explained as the fairy now tapped her wand upon the head of Pinocchio.

"Little puppet made of pine, awake. The gift of mine is thine." She said to him, the shining light from the wand seeping over the puppet now as I waited to see what was going to happen next.

"He is not your mission," I shot my look over at her now, the shock was there on my face as she stared at me in the mirror. Here I was, witnessing a miracle of a puppet turning into a real boy and how he would need someone to help and guide him, and Enchantress decides to rip the rug from underneath me with no real warning.

"Why am I here then? Just to remember him?" I asked, thinking that this was a waste of time now and having it show on my face.

"You will meet him again in the future, trust me. I just want you to know his beginning, how he became a boy so you can remind him of this miracle," She answered as I looked back at the scene with her still talking. The puppet was now alive, aminated really and was talking to the Blue Fairy again,"He will need to be reminded in order to find his path again, and you are the only one who can do this for him."

"How can I, though?" I asked.

"I'll help you." She replied, having me sigh and keep my eyes on the scene. This still made no sense, on how I was going to be called to him in the near future and help this young puppet, wherever and whenever he was in his life, and make sure he made the right choices and knew where to go.

It was going to be the most challenging one yet.

* * *

 **Storybrooke, Maine**

 **Present Day**

This was a different place, none that I have ever seen before. It was a small fishing town from what I could see, little shops here and there along the one strip that was there, trees along the sides and the small sense that this was a homely place. I was driving into the strip there in the main town, with the small amount of things that I had to my name then and there. I was glad I got there in time, mainly because I was running out of a rough situation that almost killed me.

There was only a backpack that I had with me, along with my pendant around my neck and a worn out biker jacket that I found at the Goodwill mere hours before. I had cash in my backpack, all that i had left and used for me own benefit in the stock market, not to mention the new sets of scrapes and worn out skin that I was having on me now as I parked my own motorcycle near what looked like to be a diner. Some people were walking along the sidewalk, all of them looking at me now with pondering eyes as I took off my helmet now. My hair, looking a bit more frail that it used to be was flowing in the crisp wind as I placed the helmet on the top of the motorcycle, and my eyes were instantly going back and forth at where I could find him.

Find August.

He was the one who told me to get a bike, a connection he had from his past, and he told me to find him in Storybooke since that was where he told me he was going to be. I wondered if I missed him, if he was no longer there and moved on since he was never one to be sitting still. But August told me that he was meant to be in Storybrooke, it was his purpose to go back and fulfill his mission.

What was his mission?

After standing there for a moment or so, probably looking real lost there and more people were looking at me now in wonder as to why I was there. I probably looked like a biker who got into a fight, biker jacket and skinny jeans with boots, chopped and wavy hair with fingerless gloves, faint scars on my face, and now fresh bruise and cuts from the fight I was just in. This was going to be a great thing to talk about with August now as I heard the opening of the diner front door. It made me look over, a couple of people were there looking at me like they were both shocked to see me there, and suspicious.

"Hi," One of them said to me, a pretty young woman with blond long hair and heart-shaped face who almost looked like the ringleader of the whole group. There was a short haired blond young man, another young women with very cropped black hair and her own heart-shaped face, another young man with messy yet stylish brown hair and a five o' clock shadow and piercing eyes, and one more women who had medium length brown hair and look like she could kill within seconds. Great, I was already being judged by a group of strangers and I felt like they would grab a gun at shoot me from the looks I was getting.

"You look lost," The blond haired man said to me kindly now as I nodded my head, fingers tapping against my legs now in worry that I wasn't going to find August and I was going to be in hot water.

"I'm looking for someone." I said to them, sounding a bit off there with my voice now since I felt like I wanted to panic.

"You look shaken up," The short-haired young woman told me, her voice making me think of some kind of motherly figure there now as I noticed that they were talking about the bruises on my face then,"Are you hurt?"

I felt like I wanted to melt into a puddle there, thinking this was a bad idea now as someone was pushing her way through the mass group at the front door of the diner. It was a male, and as soon as locked eyes. I sighed in relief knowing who it was. He looked shocked, a little concerned from how I looked, but none the less shocked as he eyed me up and down.

"Cleo?" He asked me, his voice was in a bit of a shock now as I gave him a nervous.

"Hello, August."


	3. Chapter 3

"Here you go," I looked up to see the waitress, who grinned at me from ear to ear now as she was sporting her red highlights, somewhat tight clothes that had some red accents along the jeans and shirts now. The group that saw me in front of the diner was now talking to August, who looked like he was trying to defend me with those people. I was bad enough to show up looking like a hot mess, it was another to be placed in a diner booth now. Even some of the people who were in the diner in the first place were giving me dirty looks, or looks of pure interest.

"Thanks," I said to her now as she was handing me my coffee and a BLT sandwich. It was placed in front of me nicely, my stomach turning now within me with hunger since I didn't know when I ate last. My body was aching from the long ride over.

"I dig your style, by the way," She commented, having me look down at my punk, almost goth, kind of attire and I looked back at her own. It seemed like she had to real shame as to how she was wearing her own clothes.

"Yours is good too." I complimented, seeing her grin from ear to ear like this was the first time someone actually liked what she was wearing. I was probably right as she walked away and I looked at the spread in front of me. I wanted to wolf it all down before anything would happen to it, but then again it would still be rude. Without thinking about it, I looked over to the backpack on my right side, squished between my body and the wall, and I was wondering if Enchantress was listening in with all that happened. Did she know? The last time she spoke to me was before I was beaten up by the villain, and she warned me he would be tough to beat.

Yay for her.

"You knew her before you came here?" I heard the blond girl ask August, already stunned from the whole thing happening as I reached down to take a bite from the BLT.

"She helped me get back on my feet, convinced me to come back here and find you," August explained to her, sounding a bit more on my side if I heard him right as I saw my scars along my wrist inch out from where my jacket sleeve.

"She doesn't look like she's in the best shape," The blond man voiced, having myself freeze and see them watch me out of the corner of my eyes. I instantly drew my sleeve over my scars there, hoping that they got the hint to leave me be. God, I hope that they did.

"Does she need a place to stay?" The short haired woman asked the blond man placing a hand on her shoulder now as she was looking at me with motherly eyes now and I tried my best not to look at them. I took a tentative bite at the sandwich now, feeling instantly better from the taste.

"I would think she does, she never stays in one place for long because of what she does," August answered her, all of them were looking at August now in confusion to his explanation.

"It's kind of hard explanation," August tried to reason with them since they were more hesitant about me now.

"We were thinking the same thing when you rolled into town if I'm not mistaken." The brown haired woman, the mean one, said in a snort to August now as she was the one who was eyeing me like a viper would eye a mouse before it ate it whole. I cringed then, hearing August sigh.

"Hear me out, please," He pleaded with the group of them, "Basically, she's like me."

"A puppet?" the man asked.

"No, someone who wants to help others find their path," August answered them now as I took another bite. I was never placed in this position where I was going to be questioned by a bunch of strangers, and it felt awkward to me, "She's kind of like us…but not really."

"She's a character from the book?" The blond woman asked him.

"I don't think so…and she won't know herself."

"What makes you say that?" One of them asked.

"Because she doesn't remember where she came from," August answered them back carefully, a hint if pain there in his voice as they were quiet once more, maybe drinking it in from what he was telling them. I was so tempted to pulled out the mirror in hopes to see Enchantress's face and to hear her tell me what to do. For the first time what seemed like a long time, I had no idea what to do next.

"Let's just talk to her and make sure she's okay." The motherly woman said to them, making me pause with my hand on the coffee cup as they all walked over to the booth I was in. I moved my hand away from the backpack now, waiting to hear what they had to say. August instantly slid into the booth across from me, hands folded on the table and his eyes looking right at me.

"How are you holding up?" He asked me with his kind voice.

"I'm okay, thank you August," I thanked him, yet I could still see all of them watching me now with more questions in their heads, "I didn't mean to come in without letting you know ahead of time. I was in a sticky situation from someone that you remember that was so close to your heart."

"Should I be worried?" August asked me as I took a long drink from my coffee. I grimaced a bit now as I glared at him with seriousness there in my own eyes as I placed the cup back on the table.

"Stromboli," His eyes went wide when I mentioned the name, the others were looking a bit confused as to who it was, at least at first they did, "He caught me in Thailand when he was doing his own world tour."

"How did he catch you?" August asked me with seriousness.

"I was trying to grab something that the Enchantress wanted me to get for you, after the first attempt that went sour which did lead me to find you in Phuket," I explained, going to my backpack and digging inside as one of the others spoke.

"Is this the same Stromboli that captured you and made you work for him?" The black-haired woman asked, having me look over at her now with my hand still in the backpack and shock there on my face. How did she know about him? Was there something I was missing?

"How do you know Stromboli?" I asked her, not in a threatening way, but in a worried and sacred way.

"She knows more than you think," August reassured me as I looked from her to him now, seeing that he was telling the truth to me. There was never a real moment in our friendship that he would have to lie to me, and I knew it was not going to change right now, "In fact, they all know about me and where I came from as Pinocchio."

"Are they…." I trailed off, pointing with my finger to all of them now but my eyes were still looking at August, hoping that the next thing that he was going to say was either true or a huge trick, "Magical?"

"Just like us, Cleo." He replied back to me smoothly, having me look at them all with shock there in my eyes.

"Your name is Cleo?" The man asked me.

"Yeah, she was my goldfish," August said with a pause in the middle there, all of them were looking back at him and having me swallow before I could have the courage to speak up.

"Your Goldfish." The brown haired vice woman said, unconvinced now like she was about to lose her patience with this whole conversation, "Are we supposed to believe that she was your Goldfish?"

"I was many things," I answered her smoothly with the attention back on me now, "A goldfish, a cat, a mouse, and a great horse."

"You can turn into animals?" The blond woman asked, leaning a bit towards me now and looking at me up and down.

"Well, not at the moment, no," I answered her, seeing her a bit taken back from how I answered her, "I can only do it when it's necessary, not on a limb."

"And when is it necessary?" The brown hair woman asked me now, still annoyed with this conversation.

"When people need to make the right choice, that's when I come in," I explained to her coolly now, seeing August raise his hand to me from his spot across the table and I went quiet again as I looked back at the coffee within my hands now.

"Cleo is working for an Enchantress, someone who wants to help characters…like us…to make the right choices in our stories." August explained to them slowly now, making sure they got the message through in their heads. I looked at him in shock too, hearing that he was talking about all of them in the group. not just him. That had to have meant.

"They're characters….like you…are you serious?" I asked him in wonder.

"All except me," The blond haired woman replied, having me shoot a look at her now, "It's kind of hard to explain, but I'm—"

"The Savior," I ended the sentence with her, now having it all click within my head now as I remembered. August told me about her, about he knew her as a child and how he was meant to protect her and show her the way to be The Savior for this town. He knew her and brought her to the realm when everything here was cursed. This was her.

"You're Emma Swan," I said to her finally, her eyes going big now as I identified her.

"You know our daughter?" The black-haired woman asked me now, having me look from Emma to the woman and somewhat only then see the similar shape of the face and of the eyes there too.

"She's your daughter?" I asked, seeing her nod her head and have a small smile there on her face, "So that makes you…"

"Snow White, and her Husband Prince Charming," August said as a way of introduction. I looked at them all now, in which the one I did not know yet was the brown haired viper of a woman. They all looked like who they were supposed to be, at least how August described them to me as he knew from his own reelection of their story. Were they a family? And yet they looked so picturesque there, it didn't occur to me that they were one of the most famous families in the fairy tale world.

"And who are you?" I asked the last one, seeing her glare at me but mostly in a way that I was getting under her skin with my naiveness.

"I'm Regina…the Queen," She replied smoothly.

"Makes sense," I replied back to her, seeing her near at me now as August got my attention again.

"Back to the point with Stromboli, what were you trying to get from him?" He asked me, having me grab the item from the backpack, Holding it within my hand now, I placed it on the table between us, seeing him eye it and his hands moving away from me now and grasp his end of the table.

"Strings?" Regina asked, having me keep my eyes on August now as he was looking like he was going to have a panic attack. A set of black strings, all attached to one end with two pieces of wood, crisscrossing each other like an X.

"There not just strings," I reminded her, seeing her watch me and not getting where I was going with this, "These are the same strings that Stromboli used on Pinocchio…they were cursed when Pinocchio was attached to them."

"How were they cursed?" Snow White asked.

"He had power over me when I was attached to these strings," August said in a wavy tone now as he was eyeing the strings, having me feel sick now that he was reliving this whole thing, "Whatever he wanted me to do, I did it. All of his bidding for gold and for the crowd."

"August…" Emma started to say to him now to make him stop relive that memory.

"They're not cursed, if you want to know," I reminded him, seeing him still eye the strings as I was placing my hands on top of them, almost shielding them from his eyes, "The curse of these strings left as soon as you stopped being a puppet. They lost their use then, so now they're just plain ol' strings."

"Then why do you have them?" He asked me softly now, moving his eyes from the offensive strings to me.

"Enchantress told me to grab them and give them to you," I answered, "She explained that the object over an individual is tied to that person, and only that person can have the willpower to destroy all of the magical content that remains there. They may be no curse left on the strings, but she'd rather be safe than sorry."

"She wants me to destroy them?" August asked me, sounding less convinced as he did before ever since I placed those strings on the table. I nodded my head once at him.

"Alright, maybe we can have Belle look at them and see what she can find with them, along with Robin Hood too," Emma suggested to her parents and Regina.

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'll call Robin and let him know." Regina said to her as she pulled out her phone and walk away, having me look at August in confusion.

"Is the Queen supposed to be nice?" I asked him.

"It's a bit of a story, I can catch you up," He explained, having me grab the strings and place them back in the backpack before I could upset him even more.

"So…you can change into animals…" Prince Charming said to me like he was trying to piece it all together, "And you knew August when he was a puppet and you were…a fish?"

"Correct," I answered him.

"So…is Cleo your real name?" He asked me.

"Sadly, I don't know my real name," I replied, seeing him look at me in more confusion now.

"I'm not following." He admitted to me.

"All I know about me is that I woke up once morning, scars on my body that makes me look like I was pieced together, and my bobbin necklace pendant. I have no real memory of where I came from and what realm to be exact." I explained, showing him my pendant around my neck and have me watch him examine it with his eyes, "All I do know about me, from what the Enchantress told me, is that the realm I belong to and came from, is no affiliated with your realm….or any other realm that is known here."

"An unknown realm? That sounds a bit morbid don't you think?" Emma asked me.

"I said the same thing to her, but she could only tell me so much. She's not powerful enough to retrieve my memories that were lost, someone took them." I added.

"Who would take a person's memory?" Snow White asked.

"Someone who doesn't want something to be exposed maybe," her husband answered her, "That kind of stuff happening can be from someone or something that is not well liked by many people. Do you have anything concrete about yourself yet?"

"I keep have the same dream," I said to him, rethinking the dream in my head now as I was trying to remember it, "I was on top of some kind of hill, but it wasn't a hill…it looked…God, I don't even know."

"Can you draw it?" August asked me, Emma then reaching into her pocket to grab a pen as August ousted a napkin over in my direction. I took the pen and napkin in hand and started to draw the hill, the same hill that over and over made me feel so peaceful and so safe, yet it looked so dark and so cruel on the outside. It curved to the top…almost like the top of a roller coaster and then when it rolled down, it would curve it…like a spiral.

"Here," I said, showing them the picture of the unique looking hill and the large moon behind it. They all looked at it, and I could see it on their faces now that they had no idea what it was and if they have seen it before.

"Robin and Will are on their way, " Regina said to the group as she was walking back over, but they were still looking at the picture now and Regina looked confused at him, 'What's going on?" She looked at the picture too, just as puzzled as the rest of them and pointed to it with her phone, "What is this?"

"I think it's where I came from," I explained to her now, August looking back at me with his sad eyes that he would use every once in awhile.

"You don't know where it is, or anything else about it?" He asked me, hoping that I would have some kind of positive answer from it.

"No," I simply confessed, seeing the glow drop from his face as Emma took the napkin.

"I'll have Belle look into this too, maybe there' something on this hill or what kind of realm it came for that can help you," Emma suggested to me, having me smile at her and feel a bit better that she was going to help me. From all that August told me about her, how she was meant to save people and make the world a better place, I had to believe August, and I had to believe her.

"Who did you say was coming?" Snow White asked Regina.

"I told you, Robin Hood and Will Scarlet." She replied to her, having my attention already from the latter name of those two.

"Will Scarlet?" I asked her, all of their eyes on me again as I looked like I was about to be sick, "You mean Will Scarlet from Wonderland?"

"I mean Will Scarlet from Robin Hood and his merry men," Regina replied back with no real connection as to what was going on, having me sigh and rub my eyes in frustration and embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" August asked me as the front door of the diner opened. I looked to see one man, whom I didn't recognize but assumed it was Robin Hood, walk over to Regina with a worried look on his face. But it was the second person whom I saw that wasn't looking at me, not yet, and it made me instantly rethink to when we saw each other last. Blast.

"What's the trouble here? I was on my way over to the lovely lady when you all called…" he said, his accent thick and cutting in the room as his eyes found me and he stopped talking, the shock was on his face now. I just smiled and waved sheepishly at him as he pointed at me.

"You!" He said to me, the others were looking at Will and then back at me with no idea what was going on.

"You know her?" Emma asked him.

"Do you know her, Will?" The first man asked him in wonder with his own accent.

"You know him?" August asked me, pointing to Will as Will was now pointing to August.

"You know her too?" He asked, his voice almost into shock now.

"Okay, every stop and tell me what in the hell is going on and why do you know her?" Emma asked now, everyone going quiet and watching me now for some kind of explanation. I took a shaky breath as I was eyeing Will there, seeing the shock and almost look of betrayal there on his face as I pushed my short hair from my eyes.

"I know Will Scarlet….through our mutual friend…Alice." I said to the group, all of whom stayed quiet but drank it in slowly…very slowly now as Will's friend, whom at the point I was thinking was Robin Hood, spoke up again.

"Are you the one that helped Will back when he was in Wonderland?" He asked me now as Will and I kept our eyes on each other.

"I am," I said to Robin, Will letting out a shaky breath and a small smile was back on his lips, "Back then, he knew me as Dinah."

"Am I not allowed to hug ya anymore?" He finally asked me, holding out his hands for me to hug him. I scooted out of the booth and hugged him, everyone else watching and still figuring out who I was to him as we hugged each other in the diner. When we pulled away, I got a good look at him now, eyeing him up and down with a smirk on my face.

"You look a bit shabby here in these close, Knave," I said to him now.

"Oi, don't call me that, only Will for now on, ya?" He asked me, "And how about you, Dinah? You holdin' up nicely?"

"That was only my codename and you know it," I reminded him, seeing him roll his eyes now as I chuckled at him, "And I happen to be doing quite okay."

"I can tell from that shiner on your eye, how'd you get that?" He asked.

"Wait a minute….you're Dinah?" Emma asked me now, having me forget that we were talking about me and what I was doing with my job as of late, "Dinah as in….Alice's cat?"

"What the bloody hell?" Robin asked now in confusion as he was next to Regina now. I only wished that this conversation was already over and down with.

"I was her cat at one time…yes," I answered Emma, "I told you...I was a cat once…for her to make the right choice."

"And what was the choice, if I may ask?" Regina questioned me.

"To fall down the rabbit hole."

* * *

Wonderland

2 years before the Curse on Storybrooke

I watched from the bushes to see if she took the bait, she truly walked through the door and found herself in Wonderland. After she fell down the rabbit hole, chasing after me who lead her along the path from her house, I went after her to see if she was, in fact, going to keep going with her curiosity. I was just glad that she did, her mind was not wondrous than I gave her credit for. She was more adventurous than I thought, and I watched from afar as she kept walking along the small path in front of her, looking left and right with wide eyes and pondering all the trees and small things.

"That was a nifty trick," I whirled around to see who was behind me, my stance almost slipping now as a young man, around my age really, watching me with a lopsided grin and a curious look on his face. He looked rather optimistic from seeing me, not shocked at all like how I was looking at him.

"What?" I asked him, seeing him chuckle at me now with his hands now shoved in his pockets of his leather jacket.

"You hard of hearing now? Did you being a cat whack your ears?" Once again he asked me in a coy manner, in which now I was looking at him in confusion now since I was more focused on the fact that he was not questioning me on how I did what I did, but on how nifty it was for him to see.

"You saw me?" I asked him, hoping that what I heard was true and this was not a sick dream.

"You callin' me blind, love?" He asked me another question, "I saw you change from a bloody cat to a young lady and I have to ask…where did you learn that nifty trick?" he asked me, having me about to answer him when the sound of trumpets was heard over the air. The young man instantly looked up and around, me doing the same now as someone was coming over to our direction, almost like a herd really. The young man ducked down behind the bushes again, having me look at him in confusion as the sound of marching was getting closer to us.

"What are you doing?" I asked him in wonder.

"If you wanna keep your head, I suggest you get your own bloody head out of sight." He hissed at me, grabbing my jacket sleeve and shoved me down on my knees next to him, once again behind the bushes so we were not going to be seen at all. It took a few moments before I could see the small mass of being walking over in our direction now. We stayed still, well I did since I haven't seen them before, or any of this place to begin with. They were tall, ridiculously thin, and they almost resembled playing cards with how their bodies looked and how they were walking like folded and bent paper.

"What are they?" I asked, mostly to myself now as I could count that there were at least 20 of them now, all bundled around one thing that was in the middle, almost like four of them were carrying a carriage in the front and someone was inside of big importance.

"Guards to her Majesty." The young man replied next to me, sounding a bit grave about it than anything. I looked over at him now, his eyes watching the moving mass of cards as they were marching along the same path Alice was on mere moments before.

"Do you think they will find Alice?" I asked him now, thinking o her and how far along she was within that new world and along that very path. It made me worry now, more than anything.

"That one bird that you sent down here?" He asked, "If she's any smart than what I'm seeing than she would be finding herself in more trouble than be anywhere hear her." He motioned his head to the large group of cards now, having em raise an eyebrow at him.

"Who is she?" I asked, his eyes right on me with seriousness and with a hint of fear there.

"The Queen of Hearts," I looked ahead again, already seeing the link of the cards and now this mysterious Queen. I looked ahead again at the sight, but they were already long gone now as I sighed in relief. It sounded like she was not a person whom I would like to cross paths with anytime soon while I was here within this land.

"I wonder if that girl you sent is gonna see her sometime soon, that'll be a sight to see." The lad commented as we both got back up to standing up straight again, having me sigh in relief now as I dusted off my knees and readjusted my backpack and my hair in front of him. He was eyeing me, up and down now with amusement, "So, you gonna tell me how you pulled off being a cat?"

"I can't tell that to anyone you know," I advised him, seeing him nod his head in agreement as he then thrust his hand out to me. I raised my eyebrow at him now, thinking that he was going to fool me in some way.

"What are you doing now?" I asked.

"I'm introducing myself," He replied, "The name's Will Scarlett, of formal known at the Knave of Hearts if you wanna be specific." I eyed him, seeing that he was somewhat genuine in what he was saying to me now. Carefully, thinking that I had nothing else left to lose, I shook his hand within my own.

"I'm Dinah," I replied, seeing him cock his head at me.

"Just Dinah?" He pondered.

"Just Dinah," I answered, hearing him chuckle a bit now, "I apologize if it's not to par with your flashy title."

"See I wouldn't call it flashy, more like a pope title for someone who's a bit on the rough side," Will said with a smirk, "So, Just Dinah…what brings you to Wonderland?"

"I was helping Alice find her way here," I replied to him calmly now as I got the backpack comfortable on my back now.

"Why in the bloody hell would you lead her here?" He asked me now, having me remember now that I was not meant to tell him my real mission, even if I just met the guy and he seemed trustworthy enough. I called myself crazy on how I reacted to him and placed him in m trust bank, but then again I was never one to act rationally.

"Just a hunch," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. He grinned at me, ear to ear now as we were still standing there together within the bushes of Wonderland, "Would you happen to know how to get out of here?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He replied smoothly back to me, "But it's going to take some things from someone who's pretty sneaky with their hands in order to get out."

"Sneaky, or someone who has sticky fingers?" I asked in wonder now, seeing him shrug his own shudders.

"Whatever you want to call it, I need some things in order to bust out of here as much as you want to leave, and after seeing your magical show back there from a feline to a human, I think you're perfect for the job." He informed me now.

"Well, I don't steal, if that's what you want me to do." I countered with him now.

"I don't want you to steal, now that I can do better than you I bet. All I need…is someone who's light on their feet and knows how to get in and out of a tough nut." He persuaded me, "You help me and I can help you get out of here for good. And believe me, I don't go back on my promises." I had no real choice in the matter since I didn't know how to get back to the other realm that I chased Alive down the hole in. I didn't want to stay in Wonderland for very long because of the Red Queen for one, and if something else were to happen to me and Enchantress couldn't help me either.

"What do you need from me, Will Scarlet?"


	4. Chapter 4

This place was looking more and more like Pleasantville over time I walked down the streets, trying to kill some time there since I had nothing else to do that day. The citizens there were still trying to get used to me, and it's only been a couple of days since I've arrived and I've tried to be friendly, but it was never really my forte. Thank God I had people like Will Scarlett and August who would vouch for me and let me know that I was fine being there in the town. It was just the rest of the people there that looked at me like I was a villain.

I looked like one to be fair.

I had my grunge look going with the leather jacket, a band t-shirt with my skinny jeans along with boots and a beanie to cover my almost neon red hair from flowing freely in the wind now. I wondered if I should head back to the apartment that I was staying in at the town, the high apartment complex at the bed and breakfast that happened to be on the top floor in the circular room that looked like a tower from the outside. It was the only room that I wanted and the elderly woman who owned the place looked at me with curiosity as she handed me over the keys. She told me that hardly anyone stayed in that area of the bed and breakfast since it was hardly maintained and taken care of.

I didn't mind it.

August was talking to Emma that day, who was still kind enough to me since she knew August could trust me, and her parents trusted me enough as well. I was still shocked to hear that Emma was, in fact, the Savior, and her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming. He went by the name of David now in this world, in this town to be precise, and he worked with his daughter at the Sherriff's department. August and I were going to have dinner together that night at the diner to catch up some more, and I was just glad to have at least one friend there within that town even though I had two.

I woke up that morning with another dream of that same hill in front of the large yellow moon, the hill that looked so massive in size and yet made me feel so tall as I was standing there on top of the hill and hearing some sort of tune in the background, a first for me in that dream. The ones before were just of me on the hill, overlooking some kind of town that was hidden in the shadows and only small glimmers of orange lights were seen scattered around in the windows. But now, I was hearing a tune that somehow felt familiar to me and haunting at the same time. It almost felt like a romantic kind of song, but also sad at the same time. It rang in the air like who snow would fall to the ground with ease. But before I could even try to find out where the song was taking place and how it was affecting me, I woke up and was back in the bed and breakfast bed that I was in for now.

"Oi, Dinah!" I heard my name being called and I saw Will outside the library, waving his hand at me to flag me down and I grinned, walking over to him now and having a pep in my step from seeing my friend there. He looked like he was having a good day thus far, and I only could see that it might get better since it was only about 11 in the morning.

"Hello, Will," I replied to him as we both stood in front of the Storybrooke library, "I never took you for a reader."

"My ladyfriend is in there, she's the librarian and I want you to meet her! Come on," He said to me as he grabbed my jacket sleeve and opened the door. We both walked inside, having me breathe in all the books there and see how it did look like a library, but more like a school one than anything really. I didn't mind it, it felt more peaceful than anything.

"I hope you don't mind the smell of rotting books, she's been wanting to get rid some of the old ones for awhile and give them to the school," Will commented to me as we were weaving our way through the lobby and to the main front desk. I was about to comment back to him now how nice she seemed when I spotted her and I felt like my tongue was stuck to the top of my roof. I instantly knew who she was as Will left my side and walked over to him, enrapturing her in a hug and a kiss on the lips that was so sweet. She giggled against his lips now as I was standing there, seeing her once again and thinking of a time when I saw her last and she had no idea it was me.

But I knew it was her. Belle.

* * *

Woods outside the Castle

 _I watched from behind one of the massive pines trees as Belle made her way into the castle now with sheer curiosity about her, her cloak whipping in the wind and her hand on the doorknob now. I really hoped that she made her way in there and I pressed my hands into the trunk of the pine tree, my backpack that I was wearing that I doubled as a saddle when I was her horse pirated on my back, having me sigh and open the flap with my hand without taking my eyes off of Belle now. I could hear Enchantress's voice now, speaking from the backpack and I saw the front door that was massive open slowly and with a creak behind it._

 _"Is she in the castle now?" Enchantress asked me now in earnest, having me watch her disappear into the castle now and the door close behind her, a thump was heard within the area from the sound of the door closing._

 _"She's inside, and I got her there like you said," I replied back to her now over my shoulder as I tore my eyes away from the castle now and shrugged off my backpack for me to get the mirror out to hold in my hands. I was feeling a bit old there with the cool winds coming through in the night, but the mirror was in front of me and giving off a war blow about it now as I was seeing Enchantress in front of me once again with the mirror, "Why was it important for me to bring her here."_

 _"Not only to help her father from being imprisoned by the beast but for her to break the spell that was placed over him…the spell I placed." I froze when she said this, having me do a double take to the castle once more. She hardly talked to me about what she did in the past, whom she helped and how she did it. But now it was somehow making sense, and I had to look back at the mirror within my hands._

 _"You were the one who changed him, turned him into a beast? You were the older beggar woman…like how I saw you in the forest…" I trailed off, not knowing what to think anymore._

 _"Unlike yourself, the Prince there within that castle refused me and wanted nothing to do with me because of my appliance, he was a vain young man who in return was transformed into the form that reflects his very heart and soul." She explained to me now, "You were never like that to me when we first met, but I wish to have this prince go back to his normal self."_

 _"How?" I asked her._

 _"He must earn the love of another, someone must fall in love with him before his 21st year." She informed me, having me then suddenly hear a roar from inside the castle that almost shook the woods around the whole building. I shot a look back at the castle now, hoping and wondering where the girl was and if she was alright._

 _"And you think this girl is going to be the answer to that?" I asked her now, sounding a bit skeptical about it really given the circumstances._

 _"I have faith in this one," Enchantress merely replied._

* * *

"Hello Belle, I want you to meet an ol' friend of mine who I met back in the day," Will explained to her as she then looked over at me now with her sincere smile. I remembered her being beautiful when I saw her last, back at the castle when she was being held her against her will by the beast. I knew only a little bit of her, but enough to believe that she was a good person and wanted to help others. Sparing her life for her fathers so that he might be able to live and she would be a prisoner in the enchanted castle. I could only smile back at her as she cocked her head to the side.

"Is she the one you were talking about last night, the girl who helped you in Wonderland?" She asked Will now and stared at him as I was slowly reaching up tot touch my pendant around my neck, to have some kind of anchor instead of the anxiety I was feeling.

"The very one. My lovely friend, Dinah. Dinah, this is Belle, a true beauty in this dull of a place and who happens to be the librarian. Now, tell me this is the perfect librarian fantasy that other blokes would dream about from time to time, eh, Dinah?" he asked me, not really seeing that I was having a bit of a flashback myself and I just smiled. I didn't want to give that away in front of him and freak him out, or Belle since I would doubt she knew about me and what I could do.

"I'm sure you're right, Will," I replied to him now as Belle moved away from him and over to me with a warm hospitality about her as she stood in front of me. I analyzed her, seeing that she hasn't changed a bit since I saw her last.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Dinah. Will has been talking about you since you came in town a couple of days ago. I would have come by to say hello, but I was busy here in the library and all," She gestured to the books on the shelves all around her and I waved her off.

"It's okay, I'm not that great to meet anyways," I tried to reason with her, seeing Will shake his head and walk over to me.

"Nonsense Dinah! You're a good friend of mine, don't make yourself less than that!" He reassured me now as I grinned at him. Leave it to Will to bring out the best in people, and the mischievous sides too.

"So, I hear you're staying in the attic room at the bed and breakfast," Belle said to me, trying to make small talk as she looked at me in surprise, "No one has stayed in that room for years. I bet it's worn down a bit."

"I don't mind it, I prefer to be alone sometimes really. Plus, I like things that are ancient," I explained to her now as I was placing my hand back down from my necklace and back into my jacket pocket now since I was feeling a bit better with this conversation.

"Never took you as the ancient type, Dinah. More of a grudge goth queen than anything," Will said back to me, then seeing Belle swat him across the chest with her hand as more like a scolding than anything.

"Be nice to her, honestly Will!" Belle said to him and Will chuckled. He then shrugged his shoulders a bit now as he looked over at me with the curious look in his eye again, the same look I saw him in before he wanted to go on an adventure.

"You fancy on a trip to the docks to meet up with Robin and Hook?" He asked me, having me shift a bit in surprise to the two people he mentioned, namely the latter.

"Hook?" I asked.

"Yeah, his ship down there and he likes to work on it for time to time when he's not with Emma, maybe I can introduce you to him," He suggested to me, Belle grinning.

"You should go, I think you would like it and Hook since he's nice…a bit rough around the edges…but nice none the less." She agreed with him. I nodded with them since I had nothing else to do until later that night with my dinner date with August.

"Sounds fine with me."

* * *

"So, how do you like it here in town?" Will asked me as we were walking side by side now along the sidewalk that was leading us to over to the bay now. I was still drinking in that meeting I had with Belle and now I was so scared to just look at her in fear that she would know who I am and that I helped her decide her fate.

"Kind of slow, but fine none the less," I replied.

"I know, took me a bit to calm down with the times. And you, the adventurous one between the both of us, it's gonna be harder on you since you're used to running around and having a fuss." he joked, having me grin at him now and walk in step with him, "But since I saw you last, before you came on my turf now, how have you been?"

"You know how I am, same ol' same ol'," I answered him now as we turned the corner and my nose was filled with the smell of raw fish and the ocean there, "Running around for Enchantress and trying to piece my own past back together from where it was."

"Can't find anything else you yet can ya?" He asked me, a bit more serious now with the subject manner.

"Nothing concrete. I keep having the same dreams over and over again of the same Goddamn hill and the darkness around it," I explained to him some more, seeing it in my head,"But last night something else happened in the dream. I heard something…kind of like a song that was…familiar to me."

"You've heard it before?" He pondered.

"Not until last night, not clearly. I don't know it sounded like something I would have known in the past, I had the feel like I've known this song for years and years, you know what I mean?" I asked him, feeling a bit silly about it now since it made me sound more crazy and more of a lunatic than anything. Will thought to himself as we were walking along the sidewalk that was near the ocean and the boats docked there.

"Maybe we can have Belle look into it at the library?" He suggested.

"Can she find something for me?" I asked him, thinking of how that can be a possibility.

"She's helped plenty of people here with their past, some of the books she has back there can be a clue since she has some access to other worlds that are known." He explained, having me sigh and shake my head.

"But Will, the realm that I'm from can't be accessible. Enchantress has tried: whoever has power and control from my world made it so that no one can get in or out. She can't even find it herself," I explained to him in almost a pathetic moan now since it still sounded so out of reach for myself. It still felt like a dream that close enough for me to grab but far away for me to just watch from a distance.

"Hey, listen, Dinah," Will and I stopped walked now and he faced me with his hands on my shoulders now and he was giving me the look of determination in his eye, "We'll figure this whole thing out with you, okay? For some reason, this town has helped plenty of people who were lost find their way again, and it's going to happen with you, I guarantee it." I had to believe him, I had to believe that somehow I was going to find more clues to the past I thought I lost from the moment I woke up in the forest. I had to smile at him, given him a sign that I knew what he was saying.

"Come on, and I have the perfect person than can brighten your day," he said to me, placing an arm around my neck and pulling me to walk with him. I went along with it as he talked some more, "Ever wanted to meet a pirate?"

"A pirate?" I questioned.

"One of the most famous pirates that ever graced the seven seas?" He persuaded me even more as he then pointed over to what looked to be a huge pirate ship, having me gasp from seeing how big it looked in the water and anchored along the side. I was amazing at how old it looked, and yet how much upkeep there was to make it look successful.

* * *

"Wow," I said in a smooth tone now as Will chuckled, guiding me over to the side where I saw someone on deck, walking along the edge with one hand seen placing the fingertips on the wood there where the railing was and a curious look to his eye. I knew he saw us, and I wondered if he knew who I was.

"I didn't expect you to be coming around my ship anytime soon, Will Scarlett." He said to Will now with a smooth tone to his voice as we approached the ramp that would take us to the ship now.

"Well, I thought I would show my good friend here around and see if she has a fancy interest in a ship like yours, so play nice," He replied back to the man now who just grinned at me, "Can we come onto your ship?"

"I don't see why not, I don't want to argue with your boss any who, come on up." he answered to Will and I we both were walking onto the ship, having me look around in such wonder and with an open mouth now, "Welcome aboard miss…"

"Dinah," I replied to him giving him my hand to shake and he gave me his smooth grin that I kind of had the feeling he was using that voice on the ladies that were around in his past.

"Dinah…a lovely name," he said to me as he then shook my hand with one hand there. I noticed that the other hand was not there, but a hook was placed there instead. It clicked within seconds, having me look at him in shock now since I would never put that face to the name that was already coming out of my mouth.

"Hook?" I asked him now, seeing him grin at me from ear to ear, "You're Captain Hook?"

"I see my reputation has been going outside of Storybrooke." He said in a grin now as Will rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, don't be that cocky. She's an old friend of mine who got me out of a jam back in Wonderland." Will explained as I pulled my hand away from him and looked around the ship once more, "She's magical, like you and me?"

"Is she from Wonderland?" Hook asked him now as I walked along the deck and stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets.

"She has no clue where she's from," Will explained, "She woke up one morning in the forest with no idea where she came from and where her home is."

"You think Belle can help, maybe Regina?" Hook asked him under this breath now as I looked back at the two of them now, since I knew they were questioning where I came from.

"If Enchantress can't find my own home, I doubt Belle and Regina can," I advised them both.

"What you don't think either them can find it?" Hook asked me now with a raised eyebrow now.

"No, it's just that my boss is one of the more powerful ones when it comes to magic," I replied back with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Doesn't hurt to get other opinions, trust me. Even in this town, you get help from the most unlucky people, believe me." Hook informed me with a serious tone in his voice, walking over towards me and gesturing to the ship that we were on, "I never thought I would have my own ship again when I was with my own troubles with magic, but the people here in this town helped me get it back in my possession. I think we can find your home in no time."

"But this is a ship," I countered back with him, "My problem is a whole world, not just a simple ship."

"It's like I said, have some faith here," Will reassured me again with his hope back in his tone now. I had to give it to him, it sounded really tempting to give my faith there within that town to find out where I came from.

It would be hard to leave it up to chance or faith, but I had to since I had no other options left on my side of the court.

* * *

"So how was meeting Hook today?" August asked me as we were sitting across from each other and having our dinner at Grannie's diner. It was rather busy that night and we were in the booth that was a bit towards the back near the pastry area where we both were eating some of the pie that was there in the display.

"He was not how I expecting him to be," I replied back to him, seeing hum chuckle before he was cutting himself off a piece of the pie that was on the center plate.

"He tends to have that treat about him, but he's very good to Emma and that is very fine with me," August explained to me now as I took one bite from my own pie and grinned at him, "She really likes him."

"He's a bit nice for a pirate, isn't he?" I asked him now in wonder as he took his bite and nodded in agreement.

"Some of the people here in town are more than just what we think they are from their stories and their tales," August replied, having me look right at him.

"Just like you," I added, seeing him grin at me and I chuckled, "Oh come on, August. You've grown up plenty since I saw you as a small boy."

"It still baffles me that you have seen me grown up," He voiced in a shocked manner and I nodded in agreement.

"Well, If I knew how Enchantress did it for me to get through different worlds, I'll let you know. But I don't think I have any of my own shit together, you know?" I questioned him as I then passed and looked down at my own pie and let out a sigh of discontent now.

"What is it?" August asked me now as I fiddled a bit with my pie and the fork there.

"I've never felt this lost about my own past..ever since I got here something's really blocking me from seeing where I came from and I don't know how to fix it," I explained to him softly and almost in a groan now as I placed the fork down on the table and folded my hands on top of the table, seeing the faint scars there along my skin and my own imagination was getting the best of me now.

"I was kind of in your same position, not completely but the same," I looked up when August said that to me now, having me look at him in confusion as he sighed too and looked behind him at most of the people there in the diner and how they talked to each other, "I think we've all felt lost and not being able to know where we came from, before Emma came and broke the curse. But it's a hard feeling to have, a very hard feeling since everything seems blank and unreachable, you know?"

"Exactly." I agreed.

"But I think you can find something here in this town, something crucial and important for your past to make sense," August explained to me as he was gesturing to the diner now, "We've all found our past here within these walls and in this town."

"That's what Hook said," I informed him.

"And do you believe him?" He asked me now with a cock of his eyebrow at me and a tilt of his head. I had to give ti to August, he knew how to talk and how to make me think. I was trying to find some kind of positive thing to come out of being here in this town, where other characters magic beings found their way and were happy where they were here. I wanted to be like them, having no fear of worries abut my past or what it was and just focus on the future. I was about to answer him now when we were interrupted by the door opening and closing in a fast pace, the both of us looking over to see who it was that came in at a fast pace.

"Little John, what's going on?" Granny asked him now as I then realized it was one of the merry men that worked for and alongside Robin Hood. He looked like he saw a ghost, it was seen all over his face as no on else in the diner moved to hear what he was about to say.

"We found something in the woods while we were on patrol, something that's….I don't know how else to describe it," he explained in a gasp of breath now.

"Did you tell Emma and David?" Granny asked him as she moved from being on the other side of the counter now over to him.

"Not yet, but I was trying to find Robin and I thought he was in here." August got up when Little John replied to her in a fast pace. I got up too since I had no idea what August was going to do or would be thinking about.

"I think she's back at the Sheriff's station with David and Hook, we can go over there and I can take you," August explained to Little John now as he nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, August." He thanked him as August looked back at me now with a concerned look on his face.

"You should go back to the Bed and Breakfast and stay there," He advised and I shook my head.

"I'm coming with you," I replied back to him in a bolder manner to see him shake his head in disagreement.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." He tried to reason with me.

"August, if I can handle someone like Stromboli, then I can handle anything that is out there in the woods. Trust me, I know how to take care of myself, now I'm coming with you whether you like it or not," I replied back to him smoothly now as I got my own jacket zipped up and almost to my neck now as August eyed me one more time to make sure I was going to be okay coming. He then sighed and we both walked over to Little John.

"Show us where you saw it."

* * *

The woods were deep and cold that night, having me shuffle into my jacket a bit more now as I was following Little John and August next to me. WE were going to meet with Emma, David and Hook out there in the woods when Granny called them from the diner phone and told them what was going on, having me feel a bit on the edge as to what we were going to see and how big of a problem it really was. But as we were getting closer to whatever it was, I could feel my breathing was getting thinner by the steps we were taking and it was getting harder for me to concentrate. It felt like something was trying to open up a certain place within my brain, almost like it was trying got unlock and open with me knowing.

"Over here," We all looked to see it was David, Emma, Robin and Hook there already talking to one another and in the middle of used to be another cluster of trees, but now it was a clearing and something made it so. Some kind of force knocked it all out of the way now and it made a huge gap within the forest and a clear circle on the grass. WE walked over there, seeing what they were talking about and looking at on the ground floor and I saw something carved onto the floor there like it was written in flames and the flames itself went away without a hitch.

"This is some kind of magic," David said to us now as we approached him.

"How do you know?" August asked him now as I walked around the edge of the marking a bit more with my eyes on the detail now to see what was there, my own head was feeling heavy and almost like it was being whacked a few times just from seeing this drawing on the ground.

"This wasn't a normal way to mark the ground, not by a regular fire or anything," Emma explained to him as the rest of the men were listening to her, "This was some sort of dark magic that carved this, and I doubt this was Rumplestiltskin. I don't know this kind of magic and I doubt Regina would either."

"So, it's a stranger of Dark Magic?" Hook asked her now as I crouched down onto my feet and looked at the drawing some more, immediately grabbing my small notepad that was in my jacket pocket and then my pencil to start drawing and copying the image I was seeing on the ground floor.

"What is she doing?" Robin asked, clearly talking about me now.

"Whenever I get the feeling that I know this drawing from somewhere, or if it's important, I jolt it down and hold onto it," I explained while not taking my eyes off the drawing itself and then I looked over at him from my crouching position, "Doesn't hurt to copy it in case it's worth something in the end."

"She's got a point, I don't know what this is," Emma replied as she took out her phone and took a picture of the mark. Once I placed the notepad and the pencil back into my jacket pocket, I reached out to touch the marking there on the grass to see if I could feel and maybe identify what made it that way. As soon as I made contact with the marking, the slightest touch on my skin now, it made me see a flashing image of something dark…very dark and very sinister. It was almost like it was a man, but it wasn't. I saw eyes there that were dark, beyond dark and it gave me a huge chill down my spine. Even touching the marking itself made me feel like I was punched in the chest and I flew back from the marking, landing on my back now and I was gasping for air. Something was in that making that made me not want to touch it.

It was trying to kill me.

"Cleo!" August rushed over to me now, going on his knees to help me up from the ground with the others following and looking concerned as I was looking back at the marking again with big eyes, "What happened? You okay?"

"I don't think so," I explained, breathing in shortly and out in a shiver, "Something's in that marking that shocked me like it was cursed for me not to touch it."

"Look at what it says," Emma said to me now from near me, pointing to the bottom of the marking and having the rest of us look too. I saw where she was pointing, two letters standing out at the bottom like it was some kind of signature. It made me more confused now since I felt like I knew who it was that did this, but it wasn't clicking yet.

 _O.B._


	5. Chapter 5

_O.B._

O.B.

Those initials have been engraved within my mind for the past few days, even after we left the woods and brought out some more people to investigate, even Regina the infamous Queen came over to see if she knew this kind of magic that was there in the woods. Since then, it's been giving me more and more of a hesitation with what was going on with me and where I came from. Feeling that touch underneath me when I touched the mark on the floor, seeing those flashed images of the darkest eyes in the world looking right back at me, it was making me hate how much I couldn't even remember.

I had to remember.

"That's a unique kind of magic that I haven't seen," Regina admitted to us now as we were at her house in her office, having me see her look at the pictures that were taken by Emma with her camera. We were looking them over on the desk and seeing her look at how it was formed in the grass. Thankfully I was with Will and August there, along with Robin, Emma, Mary Margaret and David as Regina looked up and over at me.

"Well, if what you're saying is true and how you had a reaction to it, then someone cursed this for you to be affected by it," Regina explained to me as she looked back at me now from her spot near the desk, "Since I went over to check it out myself and I wasn't affected by it, maybe it's only you."

"Why me, though?" I asked her in curiosity as August scooted a bit closer to me and I was getting more and more agitated with what was happening with me and this mark.

"Don't know, maybe it's someone from your past memories that you can't remember is giving you some kind of warning call," Regina replied back while pointing to the picture now, "This mark is someone's signature, along with the magic since it a bit more on the raw side and a reckless too. But I still can't figure out where it's from and who can do something like this."

"Is it dark magic?" Emma asked her now.

"I think so, but not the kind that we're used to. Maybe it's more natural dark magic than anything," Regina answered here.

"Natural?" August questioned her now from his spot near me as I was looking back at the pictures again on the desk and seeing those eyes again, the same ones that make me shake in the knees.

"Well, most dark magic had to some from some kind of source, from within someone then can spread. right?" Regina asked the group now, having them all nod, "Well, I seems with this one that the dark magic with is more along the lines of….nature."

"No offense, but that makes no bloody sense to me," Will voice to him now as I snapped my eyes away from the picture and looked back over at Regina.

"Magic never seems to make sense anymore. Either way, we're looking at a tricky person of some kind who knows how to trigger only one person, as if he knew she was going to be there," Regina replied back in a small tone now, having me think about it a bit more. Someone was coming after me, apparently tried to curse me and have me remember a face of some kind since no one else could see it when they touched the mark on the ground. I felt more useless than anything.

"I'm gonna get some air," I said out of the blue, getting up from the seat I was sitting in and the others looking over at me now in wonder as I was looking like I was about to be sick. All of this talk and thoughts about someone or something coming after me really wanted me to step away and reconsider why I was there in the small town in the first place. What was the Enchantress really trying to make me feel? Was she trying to make me feel like this/

"You okay?" August asked me now, about to reach over to grab my arm in support but I moved away for him before he could even touch me. Ir seemed cruel, but I needed to be alone for a moment or so.

"I just need to go on a walk for a moment," I replied to him as I grabbed my jacket and moved away from the group now before I could hear anyone try to call me out. It might have seen dramatic or even a bit like I was pacing like a teenager, but it was once again too much for me to handle and get through since they were handling it like it was another day at the town. It wasn't for me, not with something like this. Even August or Will, the two good friends I had in this town os pure confusion, were not going to make me feel better now. I threw on my jacket and didn't look back, nothing was heard behind me and thinking that they got the message.

Once again, I was alone.

* * *

Sitting on one of the benches in front of the small lake that was near the park, my hood over my head and my hands shoved within my pockets now as the cold weather was coming in again and my thoughts were back to the endless mystery of my life. It was making me angry, not only angry but frustrated as to not knowing why this was happening to me and how come someone wants me head. It made it more of a pinned kind of feeling down my back and I really didn't want to do anything else but try and figure it out within my own head.

I didn't hear him walking over to me, walking very slowly now with his hands in his pockets and sitting down next to me now, having me look ahead now and not say a word or two before he could finally speak up between the both of us.

"I get where you're coming from," He said finally, his voice soothing almost like the wind against the water now as he looked over at me, "Not being able to remember where I came from, why I'm suddenly having things happen to me for no reason, I get it,"

"Someone wants to kill me, August," I said to him as a factorial tone now as I saw a couple of ducks swimming in the water, "I don't even know why they want to kill me…or who does want me dead…but this is not what I bargained for."

"No one bargains for something like this," August countered back gently and lovingly now as I looked over at him, "Sometimes, though, you have to find a way to get back to the start…to start at the beginning and pick up the pieces from there."

"All I know is how to run from place to place—" I started to argue with him, but he stopped me.

"No, you know how to bring people back to their right paths." He ended with me now, having me go silent again and biting my lower lip, "Maybe this time, you have to be the one worth saving…the one who needs to find her path again. Now think," He paused, looking at me dead on and giving me a look of urgency, "What is the very first memory that came to you, the first thought or vision that you got after you met Enchantress." I thought to myself then, all of those pieces that were in my journal now on the pages were blurred together. But I realized, the very first one that came to me when I was asleep or walking down the street on a rainy day. I had to look at August again with a small look of determination on my face.

"Where is there a piano in town?"

* * *

"You remember music?" He asked me as I walked through the front door into the pawn shop that was in town, called Mr. Golds. The place was cluttered with things, antiques, and books, statues, and sculptors. it looked like a history major's wet dream in there as the bell over the door rang and Belle came out from the backroom with a spring in her step.

"Hello, August, Dinah. What can I do for you?" She asked us as she stood behind the counter.

"Do you have a piano in here than I can borrow for maybe 30 seconds?" I asked her now, seeing her look from me over to the corner in the front of the room, having me follow her pointed finger now and see the shabby piano there against the wall.

"Thanks!" I said to her as I walked over and August right on my tail.

"She calls you Dinah?" He asked under his breath so that she couldn't hear.

"You call me Cleo, and you know that's not my real name," I countered back with him as I sat on the piano bench and looked at the keys in front of me, seeing them be a bit dusty now as August sat down next to me.

"Do you know how to play?" He asked as I placed the fingers on the dusted keys.

"Nope, but I know what it sounds like and I can go from there, can't I?" I asked in a grin now over to August, seeing him give me a confused look as I looked back in front of me and closed my eyes, trying to find the melody back in my head again and to hear what it would sound like how it would sound. Since it was the oldest memory that I had from my past that I would find from time to time, when the others had to be written down or drawn down in order for me to got forget later in life, this one came out easily.

I played the eight notes with hesitation, and without messing up.

I opened my eyes, not realizing that I did it and I made it myself now and gasped out like I was trying to find breath again.

"What did I do?" I asked him now, seeing him watch me.

"What do you mean?" He was not getting what I asked him, having me remove my fingers from the keys now and looked at my own hands like the were foreign.

"I just…I played it without thinking about it, and without making one mistake," I admitted to him, already finding it bizarre that I did something like this. I wasn't thinking about the notes, I wasn't thinking about how it was supposed to go, I just played it how I remembered it plenty of times within my dreams.

"Well…whatever you played…it sounded good," August commented in almost a shrug of his shoulders, having me almost placed my fingers on the keys once more to try and do that again. I could hear it in my head and I slowly pushed on down on each note, one by one slowly to make it ring within the room of that shop. Once again, it almost felt like an out of body experience.

"You sure that's right?" August asked me.

"it's exactly how I remembered it in my dream," I replied back simply, going back to the eight keys and hitting them again, and again in the same time frame and in the same order. I wanted it planted in my head, so it would be stuck there and I would further find out more about where it came from.

The doors opened into the store, the both of is looking over at the door there and I stopped playing the piano. I saw Emma there, looking around for a second before she finally saw me and she walked over quickly.

"Cleo, I need you to come with me, right now." She explained as I raised my eyebrow at her and I got up from the piano.

"What is it?" I asked her, clearly seeing that she saw something that was a bit shocking to her at least.

"One of the dwarves was out near that thing we saw on the ground, the etched image?" She asked, having me nod my head at her, "Well, it was doing something that none of us were expecting."

"What are you talking about?" August questioned her. But the look on her face alone was enough for me to realize that we were going to be in way over our heads here.

"You have to see this to believe this."

* * *

"What, in the hell, is that?"

"Doc was asking the same question."

"I didn't think he had it in him to use that kind of language," I was watching the image there on the ground, but it wasn't so still and so useless anymore. For some reason, it was moving and making some kind of noises that was not even close to being normal. The lines there along the sides were almost moving and shifting back and forth at a fast rate, almost like static was moving in and out of there as I was watching near August and he too looked confused about it.

The O.B. was still there, but it looked like it was morphing itself and something was about to crawl out of it from the burned in lines of the writing. Within a second, what seemed to be bugs were crawling out of the burned lines there and all over the floor, what looked like hundreds of smaller bugs that made the most of us move away in a quick state and tried not to touch them. I stayed still, for some odd reason not being moved or freaked by the bugs there and I was just watching. The rest of the group seemed edgy about it, but not me. It was like it was normal for me to see bugs, which was a first.

Maybe a sign from my past.

"Bloody hell," Will said in shock now as the bugs were scurrying away from them past their feet, he was kicking off a few that tried to crawl up his leg there as the others were doing the same. Regina was the one who huffed and moved her hair out of her eyes.

"Well, This doesn't help us a whole lot, but it could answer a few questions," She said it mostly to herself, but we all looked over in her direction.

"How?" Emma asked her now in confusion. Regina picked up one of her feet, then driving the heel of her shoe into the ground and having em hear a crunching sound that she got at least one of those bugs there under her heel. After she moved her heel away from the spot there, she reached down and grasped the dead bug between her fingers, then grabbing a handkerchief from her jacket pocket to place it inside.

"I can find out where these bugs came from. If they came out of that thing by magic, then maybe some magic was left behind on this one," She explained to us as she folded the handkerchief with her price away back in her pocket, "Until I find out more thanks to this guy, we need to make sure that this thing won't provoke anything else from coming out and that could be a threat. Maybe we can get a spell on there, or seem kind of trigger to want us if something else pops out of there,"

"Sounds reasonable, that or we can have scouts of here and keeping an eye out on this thing in case something else does want to come out," Emma suggested next to me, in which I bit my lower lip now and I figured I would be the one who would do the first watch.

"I'll do it," I said to the group, all of them looking at me as I was watching the image there not the ground and how it still looked active, "I'll watch it and see make sure nothing else pops out,"

"You don't have to," Augment tried to reason with me.

"This was here because of me," I explained t him, almost like a reminder, "This was because of me and I need to have some kind of responsibility for it."

"You're not going to watch it the whole time, Cleo," Emma reassured me, "We'll take turns. I'll go after you and August after me. In the meantime, Regina will find out more about this and what we can get out of it." I looked at her over to the hole in the ground, already having more questions in my head and what it could be from what kind of realm that I came from. This kind of curse might have come from my own home, my own land there where I called home.

Now I wanted to know where.

* * *

2 AM

I was looking off in the distance there along the trees and the smokiness there within the night as I was curled up in the fleece blanket that was given to me by Emma. I was already out here for about 3 hours, and nothing yet popped out from the small hole there in the ground.

Nothing moved at all.

Maybe it was just going to be one burst and then nothing else. I was probably looking crazy to the others in Storybrooke since most of the people there were thinking that I was off my rocker. They barely knew me, which was fine since I should have at least placed on a good enough face for the people there in that tiny town.

I leaned against the tree trunk there and I felt as though I wanted to sleep, but I wasn't going to at all since it felt like I was yearning for something else to pop out. I wanted to think that I would get more clues about my past and whatever this thing was on the ground. Was it a sign? A portal? Someone to look through and find me? It was still so vague and so unclear in my head that had it feel so fuzzy and so raw at the same time. If only the Enchantress was here to help me.

If only.

" 'Ello Luv," I looked up and over at Will, seeing him holding a backpack over his shoulder and a small grin on his face. He was still wearing his leather jacket and regular attire, not at all affected by the cold that was in the forest that we were in, and I looked at him in confusion.

"I thought Emma was going to take over for me," I said to him in an uneasy manner. He shook his head as he plopped down next to me and placing his backpack there in his lap.

"I asked her if I could keep watch between you and August," He answered, "Emma's helping the Queen with those buggies that she snagged earlier."

"You don't have to be out here—" I started to explain.

"Yeah I do. You have helped me plenty of times back in Wonderland and you're my friend. I'm gonna keep ya company, this place is no place for a lady."

"I'm not a lady," I reminded him as he chuckled and opened his backpack to reach inside. He had a thermos and a small Tupperware that he paid out on the blanket that I was sitting under.

"Well, I don't even know what you are then since you're no lady apparently. But a friend is a friend," He replied as he then pointed to the food out there in front of me, "Compliments from Granny's Diner. We have hot French Onion soup and small hot sandwiches." I grinned at him as he got out the two cups for the both of us there and I opened the Tupperware. The food was smelling beyond good within that small packet.

"This looks delicious," I commented to him as he grinned and gave me a small cup of soup. I drank it down, feeling the hot soup go down my throat and already warning me up through my bones and under my skin. I felt at peace from the simple drink of the soup, already having instant thought and images in the back of the brain. For some reason, I was seeing an image there in the back of my head, an image of a large bowl of soup and me having to serve it to someone .

 _Worm's Wart….mmmm…. and Frog's Breath?_

"You can't go wrong with Granny's." Will commented back to me, "Though I do admit that sometimes I do miss the tea back in Wonderland."

"That tea, it was a trip drinking that stuff. I thought drinking that tea from The Hare was going to knock me out for good," I said with a grin now as I had another thing pop into my head, another word or phrase that made me get another chill down my spine and have me almost have an out of body experience. I could remember a memory, a haunting memory that almost was fuzzy there within my brain and I could feel it on my arm there like someone was there gripping it hard and not letting me go.

 _The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off…._

"Dinah….Dinah you alright?" I could hear Will trying to talk to me now as I was hearing the voice so clear in my head like it was the person trying to talk to me and trying to control me. Control, I knew that term from long ago and how it was hanging over me like I was the puppet and the strings were moving me to go one place and to move to another place.

 _You're coming with me!_

"No, I'm not!" I screamed, and I was back in the forest again.

I sat up from the spot, almost spilling my soup there in my hands and feeling as though I was back in a state of shock. Something inside made me remember, remember some kind of phrase that I had in the past and what append to me. It was so real, having me almost remember it fully and feeling the urgency of getting away and the need to be free. I was trapped somewhere I was trapped and locked up. It was a desperate feeling, the gnawing sensation of something crawling up my throat and trying to suffocate me.

"Bloody hell, Dinah. What happened?" Will asked as he shot up to stand in front of me, grabbing the soup from my hands and then having me look at him in horror.

"I remember, I remember something from where I came from….a memory," I said almost out of breath like I was still trying to find my own voice there again from experiencing the memory. Will then looked at me in confusion and then over that mark there on the ground, once again it was not moving and not making any kind of sign there like it did before when we were all out here earlier.

"What did you remember?" Will asked me in worry as I was hearing that same phrase in my head.

"Someone held me, hostage…." I said in almost a whisper, that thought was still in the back of my brain. I knew that voice, it was a cold and sinister voice and how it was etching the back of my neck and making me almost twitch there from remembering that voice. It came back, another sign from my home world and where I called home. This time, it was more concrete than the melody on the piano that was in my brain or even the bugs that came up from the ground there below.

This voice was the first real clue.

"I know that voice, and I don't like it."


	6. Chapter 6

That voice was way too familiar to me, it was itching up my back and over my head like a cape of some sort.

 _You're coming with me._

Now where have I heard that before?

After that incident that night, the forest there was going to be off limits in worry that something else was going to come out of the thing. We still didn't know the whole was of it, and they were still trying to figure it out themselves with no real luck. All I knew, was that I was pulled to it more than I was before, all because I touched it that one afternoon when we saw it first there in the ground. Why did I have to touch it and be curious?

It's been two days since I heard the voice, and it was making me go stir crazy. First I saw the dark figure that seemed so cold and so cruel, and now this voice? Were there going to be more and more clues that were going to come out? It had to be since I came to Storybrooke, things were happening far more than they did before I came here. I was getting more answers to the mystery of my past since I walked into this place, crossing its border and seeing its new horizon.

This place was far more magical than I thought.

The one thing that I heard from the voice that triggered something within me was nightshade. Whoever it was from my past mentioned nightshade, and that seemed familiar too. But what was it? Why I was itching now to figure out more of it. Thankfully, Regina the Queen had some books lying around here and there, along with Belle and I was about to ask the both of them if they had anything on nightshade and what it was.

I went to Belle first, knowing that she had a large library that was covered with plenty of books, one of them had to have something on nightshade. I remember walking to the library and seeing plenty of faces looking right at me as if I was guilty of something. At first, I didn't know what was going on, but then it was now making sense: they knew about the forest and what was there. Did they think I was the cause of the new kind of trouble there in town?

They must have, and they had every right to think that.

I felt all of their eyes on me, and it was not the nice way that anyone would want. I almost sprinted into the library, opening the door and closing it behind me to lean against it and closing my eyes. I never felt this confused about anything before, it almost felt chaotic. It was not like this before, not when I did plenty of other work for the Enchantress. This was different, way too different and too much for me to take in at once.

"Dinah, you alright?" I looked ahead of me after opening my eyes and trying to get my head back together, Belle was right in front of me, looking nervous from what she was seeing with me and I sighed, rubbing my hair with my stubbed fingers.

"Yeah," I replied back calmly, in which I saw Bell look out the window there on the door and it seemed to be that more people were walking by and pointing to the door now as if they knew I was in there. She nodded her head slowly then, a small and nervous smile on her lips.

"Ah, good thing you came in here then since practically no one comes in here anyhow," She explained to me as I eyed her, seeing that she was really playing nice with me and not wanting to seem like a threat. I gave a dry chuckle to her now, moving away from the door there and standing in the front way of the library.

"I need to find some information on nightshade," I explained to her, now getting her full attention as she folded her hands in front of her, feeling as though she was getting ready for an assignment from me.

"Nightshade? As in the flower?" She asked me.

"I think so," I explained as we both walked over to the main room where the shelves were of books, some of which were scattered about on the table. I felt like I was coming in during one of her work sessions, and it was a guilty feeling that I had for a split second, "The voice I heard that night with Will, that voice said something me giving him…whoever he is….deadly nightshade."

"Well, from what I know about nightshade, it's a poison," Belle explained to me as I was now following her like a puppy while she was going down the aisle a bit until she stopped and looked back and forth, as if she was thinking in her head on which way to go. Finally, she turned to the left and I watched her in fascination as she was looking at each book that was in front of her. She was a pro at this, whereas if it was me I would be lost in here forever.

"Ah, here we are," She said as she grabbed a book by the spine and pulled it out, walking over to me and flipping it open to find the right spot where we needed the information. I was glad to have a friend that was good at this like Belle, or else things would go way slower than they would before.

"Nightshade, as it says here," She explained as she was reading it out loud, "Is a species of plant that is meant to be a poison. There are at least 15 species of plant that are within the category of Nightshade, Belladonna is one of the more toxic plants in the Eastern Hemisphere."

"So…I poisoned the guy?" I asked mostly to myself, wondering why I would be a person that would poison someone. It was getting downright creepy, way too creepy for my taste.

"Sounds like it. You don't remember do you?" She asked me, not in an accusing way but in more genuine curiosity. I tried to think back if there was some kind of face there behind that voice. But like everything before..nothing came to mind. It was still frustrating, I was stuck in one spot of this whole mystery.

"All I can remember is that voice…which is better than nothing. I haven't experienced that before until I came here to this town," I explained to her, seeing her close the book and nodding in agreement

"That tends to happen here in Storybrooke. People remember things that they forget as soon as they come here, happened to me too. There's something about this town that brings up the past, whether we're ready for it or not," She responded, then pausing before she eyed and analyzed me, "Are you ready for it?"

Such a silly question for her to ask me since I was running around this whole time trying to find my past and get the pieces about together. I was just about to answer her that I was, but I thought about it again. Since I came here, what I learned about my past seemed dark and further from any kind of goodness. I was not expecting that, I was thinking there would be some kind of rejoicing that I was learning more about what I used to do and who I used to be. Something else was gong on here that I was no prepared for, and was I willing to take on what else could come out of that thing in the forest.

I had to be.

The door opened, the both of us looking over to see an older man walking into the library, almost a swagger in his step there and a cane in one hand. I could tell right when we locked eyed when he saw me, something was off about this guy. He was wearing a suit, but not a super fancy kind and his hair was, in fact, pushed away from his eyes there as he was strutting in the library like he owned the place. Did he? I was a bit intimidated by him, and I could see Belle next to me was looking a bit more fragile compared to before when she was just talking to me, Something about this guy was setting her off, which was already making a bit angry since Belle was nothing but kind to me,

"I thought I would find you in here," He said to me, his voice was raspy and almost threatening now as he pointed to the front door behind him but kept his eyes on me, "I hear some of the people are taking a dislike to you, given the circumstances of what was out in the forest."

"What do you want, Rumple?" Belle asked him, not in a kind way at all, but almost like she as trying to stay civil about it but it was hard to. I looked at her now in shock from what she called him, and it was another magical being in front of me that I heard plenty of stories of, mostly bad and sinister really from what he had done in the past.

"Rumplestiltskin?" I asked her, now looking back at the man there. For some reason, he both did and did not fit the role of that name in how he looked. He was calm when I called him that, a cool demean that showed that he was now one to be messed with.

"You sound surprised," He said to me in an amused tone now as he walked over, his cane was still in his hand there as he eyed me suspiciously, "Usually I know who's in town and who's new. You," He paused, pointing his cane at me, "You are new. Which makes me wonder why someone like you is here in town."

"You don't run the town," Belle said to him in almost a vicious way, in which he slowly looked over at her. The way he looked at her, it felt like I was intruding them since it felt like they've had some kind of past that neither one of them wanted to bring up.

"Not yet, deary," He replied smoothly, in which I felt Belle shifted around next to me. I felt bad for her now since he was really screwing with her brain and not saying too much about it. I spoke up then, already feeling like I had to defend her from that creep that in front of us.

"What do you want with me?" I asked him, he now looked back at me then, no longer looking at Belle and having her feel bad or whatever his motive was with her. He grinned at me, a wicked grin that I could feel from where I was standing.

"It's not about what I want, it's what you want," He explained, having me watch him in a confused way as he went on, "You see, that thing in the forest sprouted up the moment you came into Storybrooke. I have a feeling that you have something to do with it, and I hear you're trying to find out about your past. What if I told you…I know how to answer those questions that I know are in your head."

"You would help me?" I asked her carefully, Belle was shifting again as if I said some kind of trigger. He sounded like he knew how to help me, but now it was not sitting right in my stomach. I was one to be on my own, doing things at my pace and my way. I never really relied on anyone else other than the Enchantress and my own conscience. He was making it seem like I was desperate and was in need of his assistance. He just smiled, like he hit the jackpot with me.

"I can help you, though it does come with a price," He replied, in which I knew more than he was saying to me. I remembered his name, the fact that he needed a price of whatever he would do for another person or people in general. He was never one just to help, he wanted something I return. Something felt off about this, in which I looked over at Belle now slightly in hopes that she would tell me to run. I saw it on her face and it was enough, she shook her head once, her eyes on me giving me a death glare that I would be stepping into a trap with him. It made me look back at the man now. If there was one thing that I knew I had that helped me throughout the years, it was my gut. My gut was telling me that this guy was trouble.

"I'm not interested," I replied to him smoothly, not seeing a falter from on him for a second, "I'm fine on doing this on my own without help."

"I'm sure you're quite capable," He agreed with me, "But this is dark magic we're talking about. I know a thing or two about it, and I can get you those answer quicker. All I do ask in return…his that you leave this town in peace once I help you,"

"Good thing I didn't agree with you then, since this town's growing on me," I replied, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets and walking over to the front door, past the man there and past the sinking feeling I was getting there in my stomach from how he was watching me walk to the front door.

"You're making a grave mistake for not having me help you," He warned me as I was placing my hand there on the handle of the door and I looked back at him. He was still sinister looking from where I was standing and I knew that I made the right choice in not following him there with his suggestion.

"I tend to make good choices in life, sir. You're not going to be the first bad one," I replied as I pushed the door open and walked out into the street. I knew I was going to have enemies there in town from then on out, not only with that guy but from others who saw me as a threat since I stepped into their town and all hell was breaking loose.

It was giving me more momentum to solve this puzzle of my past.

* * *

"I think I have something that could help us along with this whole thing,"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Something that could either be a good or bad mind trip," I was back at Granny's Diner, meeting up with Will, August and Emma along with Regina after my awkward encounter with Mr. Gold himself, or Rumplestilskin that they called him. They wanted me after I told them what happened, that he was nothing but trouble and I should steer clear of them. I didn't want to mention that he was making Belle uncomfortable, that didn't seem right and I didn't want Will to go off looking for a fight with him.

"This spell that I found brings back more of a memory that you recently had," Regina explained to me as I drank done some of the coffee in front of me and I was listening in on what she had to say, "So, two days ago you heard that voice in your head. You know that voice, kind of, right?"

"It's a memory, yes," I answered.

"I can use this spell on you, and the spell si going to amplify that recent memory or that voice if you will. It will make the memory more vibrant and clearer for you to figure it out from there," Regina explained, "I've never done it, but the spell in itself is pretty powerful when it comes to retrieving memories."

"So this will show her who spoke it to her?" Emma asked as she was listening in on the conversation.

"Hopefully, it does give her a bit more information on where she came from, and who apparently was holding her hostage," Regina explained, "I do have to warn you, though, this spell is pretty powerful. It's going to dive into your brain mostly and into your memories, so its' gonna be almost a mind trip."

"She's not stranger to that from her time in Wonderland, eh?" Will said in almost a joke now as I looked at him. He gave me a small wink there in hopes to make me feel better about this. I gave him a small smile back now since it felt better than being bitter about this.

"How bad is the spell, when it comes to getting in my brain?" I asked Regina, focusing back on her.

"I don't know, I haven't used this kind of a spell before. It's powerful, but I don't know how powerful it is." She explained, having me think about it for a moment or two. It might be a risk, but it was better than what Rumple was going to offer me, whatever it was that he had up his sleeve for me. Not to mention hat he was willing to help me if I was going to leave his town or the town that he thought he had under his thumb, forever. This seemed like a better route to go with.

"Let's do it."

* * *

"Take a deep breath before you take this. Clear your mind, if there's too much going on in your head something's gonna block you from getting to your memories,"

"Got it,"

"And whatever you do, don't think negative thoughts."

"Now you tell her that," I was staring up at the ceiling at Snow White's apartment there in Storybrooke, Regina handing me the small bottle that had the spell inside. The liquid itself was yellow, almost like it would be honey since it was thick enough and it seemed pretty powerful in that small cup that they gave me to drink it in. It was in a teacup, and I clutched it there in one hand and the other was shaking a bit. I was almost rethinking this whole thing, going into my memories and dreams once again and figuring out more things about me. This recent memory that one that I really wasn't going to enjoy myself, but it was better than nothing.

"You can do this," Regina reminded me, having me nod my head shortly before I felt August place a hand there on my upper hand, in almost a way of support for me to feel. I could see he looked concerned about me doing this, and I could sense it too. I moved to have our hands hold for a brief moment before I cleared my head with all of my thoughts. It had to go blank, it all had to be gone there as I drank down the spell. At first, I tasted honey, and almost a hint of lavender there on my lips as I felt my eyes roll back and my breathing slow.

My vision went black.

* * *

 _Everything was dark…way too dark for me to see things properly now as I was somewhere that seemed to resemble woods. But it wasn't like the woods out near storybook that had leaves and plenty of green, the woods I was in now was bitter and almost all black. No sign of green of real life anywhere, all of the trees look twisted and contorted into what could be in a horror movie._

 _The ground beneath me felt like black dust as I was near what seemed to be some kind of cemetery. Headstones were all different shapes and sizes, perched up the top of throned and stretched as far as the eye can see. On the other side of the cemetery, I saw what seemed to resemble a hill. it was large, slowly ascending to the sky and then stopping at the top right near what seemed to be the yellow moon that was hanging in the black night there in the air. It was almost weary being there in the night, weary and almost inviting at the same time._

 _It felt….it felt right being there in that dark world._

 _I could hear giggling from behind me, having me turn around there and see a large tree that was out by itself in what seemed to be a ravine around the sides. It was in the middle on its own island with a swing bridge on one side to get to the treehouse. The giggling was coming from there by the treehouse, and I wondered who it was that was making that giggling noise there._

 _It sounded like….like three children._

 _Something was happening in the town over near the right, past the cemetery and what sounded like a party that as going on in the town square. The buildings themselves looked contorted, bending one way and shifting another way. It was an odd looking town, but once again I felt a sense of safeness there as if I knew this place and was here before._

 _"I believe it was our most horrible yet…thank you, everyone!"_

 _That voice, I knew that voice like I knew a part of me. It was bold, bold and yet soothing like velvet against my ears. That voice was something that stirred within me, something that was asleep so long ago that was now waking up. I was pulled to that voice, pulled like a trance since it was something from my past that I knew and maybe….just maybe…._

 _Maybe loved. I loved that voice….so I loved that person…Who was he?_

 _Find me….find me my love….I'm lost without you._

 _Someone was calling to me. It was that same voice from before. It made me panic as I was trying to find where I heard that voice before. Where was it coming from? And more importantly, who was it?_

 _Who was reaching out to me?_

* * *

Things were shifting again, having me wake up then from the spell and I was facing the ceiling high above there on the bed back in the apartment. They were all still around me, watching me and see my reaction there as I sat up on the bed and held my head in my hands. I could still see those images in my head: the cemetery, the hill there with the moon, the town, and the treehouse. It swirled in my head over and over again like a record. The effects of the spell was now killing me, like a migraine that was bursting to come out of my skull.

"What's wrong?" August asked me in concern as he could see that I was on the brink of tears from the constant images and sounds that I felt back in that memory. He then shot a look at Regina, "What's going on, Regina?"

"It's the spell, it's having an effect on her," Regina explained as I felt Will place a hand on my back there as I tried to breathe out the dull pain like a knife was digging in my brain from all the picking at it from this one spell.

"Get me a pen and paper," I grunted through my teeth, having August look at me in confusion, "Now, please."

"Here," Emma said as she gave me a pencil and a piece of paper, having me place it on the bed surface and I started to etch the images that were floating in my head on the paper. No one said a word, they were watching the images being set there on the paper and I was trying to put in as much as I could there and fight an insane migraine that was still hitting me hard like a ton of bricks. As soon as I knew as soon as I have those images on paper, it was much better for me to work with.

Once the last image was done, the one of the large hill with the moon right behind it, I placed the pencil down and squinted through the pain and tried to breathe. It was hurting like hell, way worse in my opinion as I saw someone walking away for a second and Regina reaching over to grab the paper there from my hand, looking at it with interest herself.

"It's a…town." She explained as Emma looked at the picture too. I looked up to see August walking back over to me with a cup of water, sitting down next to me and handing it to me as I drank almost half it down in hopes that it would help with my head.

"I don't know this….I don't recognize it at all from any realm," Regina explained as she looked at me, I drank down a little bit more as she sighed and gave me a single nod, "I'll work on a remedy for you with the spell and your head. I didn't think it would take that big of a punch."

"There was something else," I said in a small voice, the rest of the group look at men now as I remembered the voice, "Another voice…I heard someone calling out to me….I knew that voice. Someone was trying to have me find them."

"Who, Luv?" Will asked me, now sounding interested in what I had to say, "Who was it?"

"A man….someone I knew and….and I loved," I could still that voice in my head, it sounded so soothing to me since I knew it from my past. It was a voice that should trigger something in me, a familiarity. But now I couldn't place a real finger on it was making me sick to my stomach and in my bones.

Something crashed outside the apartment down on the street. We all looked now, hearing some kind of commotion there and someone yelling at the same time. I could see some people going out into the street there in town, something was happening and it was not good at all.

"What is it now?" Regina asked in a groan as she was going out to head for the door, Emma as well with Will. I was about to get up when August was about to stop me,

"You need to rest," He urged me, in which I shook my head.

"I need to walk it off, not sit here," I reassured him as I got up from the bed, walking over to the door with the others and grabbing the jacket there on the hanger. I was not one to be staying behind when I knew I could help. I wasn't going to let a simple little headache, though it was more of a migraine, stop me. Call me stubborn, But this was not going to let me go slower and feel like a damsel in distress.

Once we got outside onto the street, I saw plenty of people there and they were crowding over another set of people that I could see where I was. They looked scared of who they were crowding around, almost angry too but not too much there as I was walking with August and the others there through the crowd. I finally saw who it was, and it made me look at them in shock and almost in wonder at the same time.

Three teenagers, or they could be very young adults there almost twenty years old. They were all huddled together, two males and one female. One male had fiery red hair, pushed back with a shaved side on his head and a cool demeanor about him, wearing tight clothes that seemed to be in shades of red and black and almost look like punk clothes. The female, the one in the middle, had a longish face that was almost a bit whimsical. She had strongly hair that was almost tinted teal at the tips and was in a messy bun. Her attire had a flowing appeal, almost bohemian and free with a dress and a sweater over the top of it. The second boy was the shortest, not stout but round in the face as he was wearing some kind of skeleton shirt underneath a black leather jacket and baggy jeans. He had short hair, almost shaved down to be bald, and big haunting eyes.

I moved to the front of the group of citizens with August, Emma, and Regina. Will was right behind me as I saw the three of them, all holding hands together as if they were afraid of being separated. But once they laid eyes on me, something in them looked brighter. They knew me, in how they watched me and the younger one there pointed right at me with his big eyes.

"It's you!" He said in a gleeful manner, everyone else around us was now looking at me since I was the one being called out by these three strangers. I felt very exposed then, but how they were looking right at me and seeing me there like I was an old stranger from their past. Something about them brought the sense that they were from my old life, from that world that I just went back to.

Was it so?

"We found you, Sally!"

Sally? Is my name Sally?


	7. Chapter 7

I watched the three of them as they were sitting so close together, hands holding onto the other like a three-way chain and they were watching me with intrigue in their eyes, not fear. It was another can of worms that was spewing out into the streets of Storybrooke. I didn't think it would come down to me seeing there new people there, young people, and they knew me.

They called me Sally.

We were at the Sheriff's station, the three of them crammed in one bench and I was standing in front of them, watching every single one of them now as Emma and the others were giving us space. I was glad they did, these three already look frightened enough to have plenty of people almost yelling at them for coming into their town. I was hoping that it wouldn't get worse with this whole thing, but now it did with three new people.

"How did you get here?" I started with simple questions.

"That thing that's in the ground, out in the forest." The eldest explained as he seemed more calm about me and how it was an almost interrogation.

"So….you three know me?" I asked them, that three of them nodded their heads with such speed I was worried one of them was going to lose their heads.

"We were sent here to find you!" The longest one said as he rearranged his skeleton jacket he was wearing. I looked at him with caution.

"To find me? Why?" I asked.

"You were lost, but now we found you!" The girl in the middle answered in the middle,"We did a good deed after all! No one thought we could,"

"Not even our old master," The red-dressed boy said on the far left, with a shutter through his voice when he mentioned his old master. I was still lost in that conversation since they were speaking to me like they've known me for years. The youngest one looked right at me, his face was now falling like a thought that was depressing was back in his head.

"You don't remember us?" He asked timidly, thinking that it cannot be true. I watched him slowly almost about to cry there, being so young and hearing such a heartbreaking reality that I didn't even know was true or not. The female wrapped her arm around him and pulled him close as the oldest boy looked at me with a raised eyebrow, getting it in his head himself now as I found my own voice.

"I don't remember anything of where I came from, at all." I explained to the three of them, "So if you can tell me where I'm from and who I was…that would be great."

"Well, for one thing, you're Sally," The oldest boy explained to me as the youngest boy was trying to hold back the sniffling that he was clearly having, "And you were missing from where we were from."

"Missing?" I asked him, sounding a bit fearful about this now. I thought I was just lost from my own home, but I was missing?

"Someone thought you were dead," The female said to me, now seeing that I was still out of the loop, "You really have no idea who we are, don't you?"

"Clearly I don't," I replied, the three of them were looking at each other in hesitance, "Look, if we are from the same place, I need to know where it is." The oldest boy reached into his pocket then, the other two watching him with their own set of eyes now as he took something out from his pocket, holding it in his hands like a death grip now as he then got up from the bench they both were sitting at.

"Don't!" The female urged, having me think that they were afraid to expose something to me there within the boy's hand. He went on, though, walking over to the side table I was standing next to and he opened his hand.

Two Dice.

They fell to the side table, sitting there and having me watch the pieces with my own curiosity that was growing intensely. They looked worn down, almost red and black at the same time and maybe a hint of ancientness to them. They were so small, but I had a feeling that whoever had this before had something to do with me and me loosing my memory. The boy stepped away from it now, almost like he was afraid to be too close to the two pieces himself now as I looked back at the three of them.

"They were his," The youngest said in a timid tone, almost sounding spook himself now as he looked at the female, who nodded her head, "We used to work for him, but we ran from him to find you."

"Who is he?" I asked the mere question was enough for me to see that they really weren't comfortable with what they were going to give me as an answer.

"O.B.," The oldest explained, having my eyes go wide now since it was all a reality. O.B., those dark eyes that I saw in that flash of a dark figure in my head as the image showed up on the forest floor. It was the same one apparently, and these three young ones ran from him. Did I run from him too?

"He was the ran reason you were sent here to this place, away from home," The oldest explained as he walked over to where the other two were, "After he got rid of someone of the people back in Halloweentown, he went after you too."

"Halloweentown?" I questioned.

"Yes, your home. It's where you're from," The youngest said to me. I tried to think if I knew that place if it was something familiar in the back of my brain since this whole thing started. Sadly, nothing was coming to mind, not right at the moment. But the way they looked at me, seeing a familiar face in a place that they had no clue of, it was enough for me to have some kind of tug in my heart that this was real, what they were saying was, in fact, a part of me, whether I was ready for it or not.

"Why can't I remember?" I asked, mostly to myself but I knew I was saying it aloud. It was heartbreaking that if this place, this Halloweentown that sounded more fictional than real, was no longer a real memory in my head. I felt like it was so close and yet so far away at the same time, within reach for me to grasp and yet it was so far away at the same time.

"He did that," The oldest explained, "He made you not remember. He made a lot of the people there not remember. To you, to the Mayor…even to Jack."

"Jack," I said his name out loud, whoever he was like it was imprinted on my tongue and meant to be said by me. It was natural to say that word, and yet I still didn't know how it was that had that name and who he meant to me. Another round of confusion was going through me because of the mystery of this person. It made me remember, an hour before when I was tapping into my own mind and seeing the visions of my past and where it all happened. That town I saw, with the odd looking buildings, that was Halloweentown?

"He made you forget," I snapped back from my own thoughts when I heard the youngest speak up to me now, sounding innocent about it as I looked at him now, seeing him almost shiver one again from the mention of O.B., "He took over Halloweentown and everyone there too. We left before he could get to us."

"He was going to wipe memories," The oldest explained, "He saved us for last since we worked for him in the past. But I wasn't going to let him touch my brother or sister, not after what he did to the others," It clicked in my head when he said this, having me see the female hold the younger boy close now and talking to him under her breath in a soothing tone. They were siblings, the three of them, and they looked a year apart. No wonder they clung onto each other like they were each other's lifeline.

"We knew if we were to leave, there would be no real way for us to get back. He made it that way too, whoever he exiled from the town wouldn't find a way back." They part made me floored, and not in the best way since it was a clear indication that there was no way to go back to that place that was apparently my home. I couldn't see the town, see that hill that I knew best within my brain, or see the people there who were apparently my friends. Another step back in this crazy adventure that I was in just to find a way to know something more about myself.

"I got us out of there just in time , took the dice with us since it's one of his ways that he has power," The eldest said to me as I looked back at him, watching as he pointed to the two pieces there on the table next to us, "He's still powerful, but not as powerful now without these."

"You took those dice to slow him down?" I asked, seeing him give a small smile like I was walking into some kind of old joke in his head.

"We tend to be mischievous from time to time," he said, his sister and brother grinning from what he said. I had more questions for them, plenty about the home world where I came from and apparently where they are from too. But I felt like in that moment, it was not the time for such questions. They fled their won home to escape what could have been their fates, and they were still too young for something like that. I faced the eldest now, holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Although I suspect we are friends in the past, I wanna know your name," I explained, seeing him slowly grin at me with a wide smile there etched on his face now as we clasped hands.

"I'm Lock," He introduced himself to me, then looking behind the both of us over to where the other two were, "My sister's Shock, and my brother's Barrel." I smiled from hearing their odd yet fitting names, almost like I was meeting with old friends. It felt like it within my heart there as they waved at me from the bench.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

* * *

"Everything is….Halloween?" I asked them now as I was sitting across from them at Granny's Diner, hearing more about our old home world and what it was like. I was trying to find out more and more of my old life and what it was like. Thankfully, after coaxing the three of them out from the sheriff's office and over to get some food in them, it was working. Unfortunately, I felt as though I was no being watched way more now since I was buddying up to the three stranger younglings that came into town.

"Everything. It's an amazing place. Every day there is Halloween, up until we have a real Halloween out in the other worlds where we run the Holiday. it's what we do best," Lock explained as Barrel was eating his own burger and Shock was drinking a coke and listening in on the conversation herself, "Everyone there's part of Halloween."

"Everyone?" I asked him in shock.

"Sure, everyone else thinks we're dressed up in costumes, but it's our life there. We live and breathe Halloween, the best place to live." Shock said in agreement, "Our old neighbor is part of the Vampire Club that meets every other night at midnight,"

"Wow," I said in a gasp now, wrapping my head around with the thought of such a palace that could exist. Barrel finished the bite in his mouth now and grinned at me, showing in his innocence.

"We were the best trick-or-treaters there in town, better than the rest of the kids," he said in glee. I had to grin at that since the way they spoke about was as though they were wearing that badge of honor there on their shoulders and no afraid to talk about it. It wasn't taboo to them, it was their home. It was my home, I had to remind myself, if this was all true, that this was my house too.

"There's no place like it," Lock said to me, then looking around at the diner itself and a couple of the townspeople walking by and giving them stares. I could see the uneasiness on their faces as the others were silently judging them, eve Lock looked a bit pissed about and he was about to go into a protective mode with his two siblings there in the booth.

"Hey," I said to the three of them, all of whom were looking at me now, "Don't worry about them. They gave me the same look not so long ago when I showed up here. Some of them are nice, trust me."

"We're used to having people look down at us, that or being afraid of us," Barrel said to me, almost half-heartedly now and as a confession.

"It wasn't our fault," Shock reassured him as he took a tentative bite from his sand which, "It was his fault."

"He made us look like the bad guys every once in awhile, even had us believe that he cared about us," Lock explained to me as he took a small sip from his soda, "O.B. has more influence under his belt than anyone else there in Halloweentown. The only ones he couldn't control was Jack and you. For some reason, you both hated the guy for what he was doing, and after the Christmas incident…" he paused as both Shock and Barrel shivered a bit. Maybe they were thinking of what their brother said, but I was more curious about that incident.

"We don't talk about it too much," Shock grumbled.

"After that night, we thought he was long gone. Jack destroyed him, or what he thought was O.B., but he came back and he wanted revenge on Jack. Both Jack and you." Lock explained, sounding more serious about it now as Barrel spoke up.

"He took Jack away, and then you," I felt my stomach drop as I leaned back in m seat. This O.B. enemy of a person was taking over this town and for some reason, I was against it and he punished me for it. He made me look my memory of who I was, what I did, and this Jack person. Not to mention he did the same to Jack, the both of us losing a sense of our own selves as I found my voice again, tapping my fingers there on the tabletop.

"I've been trying to find a way to find out about where I came from, and how to get home," I explained to the three of him, "I woke up in a forest somewhere, alone and with any memories."

"O.B., that jerk," Shock said with a shake of her head now as I moved my bobbin pin necklace out from hiding underneath my shirt.

"All I had was this necklace around it," I explained, showing the piece to the three of them. Lock's eyes went wide, seeing the necklace there between my fingers and he reached out to touch it briefly with his pale fingers.

"I know this! Can I see?" He asked, having me take it off from around my neck and handing it to him. As soon as he brought it to his eyesight, the other two looked too and they leaned over close to their eldest brother.

"Jack gave this to you, it was a present for Christmas right after he killed O.B. the first time," Lock explained as he looked from the necklace over to me now, his eyes showing purity there in what he was saying. I looked at the necklace there within his hands, now feeling a sense of pride that I wore it. I didn't know what was going on within me, that I was feeling so much peace and love towards a person that I never had any real memory of, but the way they spoke about him to me made me think that we were in love. We were a team together, he and I, and now we were apart.

"You never took it off from the moment he gave it to you," Shock commented as Lock handed me back my necklace carefully. I looked at it for a few seconds before I placed it back around my neck again, feeling more of the weight of the necklace around my neck and against my skin. Now there was a real reason for this piece of jewelry. There was a history behind it, a true one that meant something to someone like me.

"Hey," I looked up and over at who called out to me, August. He was standing there outside the booth, watching me interact with the three of them across from me. They looked at August too, like he intruded on a serious talk that we were having. Now it felt awkward since they were looking at him awkwardly, and he felt a bit out of place with the group talk we were having.

"Hello, August," I replied back to him, almost trying to sound calm but I could see this was a bit off for everyone around there now. August gave a nervous smile to the three of them there, thinking that he had to do something that would bring down the gloom and awkwardness that we were having at the table.

"Can I talk to you for a second, please?" He asked me, finally looking over right at me now as I nodded my head, then gazing at the three across from me.

"I'll be right back, stay here," I instructed, seeing them nod their head and they started to talk amongst each other in a hushed tone and keeping their heads low to each other. I got up from the booth and walked over to where August was, who ushered me away from the siblings a little bit and out of eyesight. As soon as I locked eyes with August, I could tell he was wanting to talk to me about something serious.

"These guys came out of that thing that was in the ground," August said to me under his breath so no one else could really listen in on our conversation, "That thing is a portal."

"I think it's a portal to my home. They knew me back when I was there," I started to explain it to him, but he stopped me before I could say anything else.

"Do they, though?" I paused when he asked me that, raising my eyebrow at him now and wondering where he was going with this. He didn't seem happy about me talking to someone from my old home, was he thinking something else about them?

"What are you talking about?" I asked him, trying to remain calm about it since he was a good friend of mine, a close one if I was going to be honest with myself. He shifted, rubbing the back of his neck then since it felt like he was about to piss me off. I knew that look on his face, and I knew it was not going to end well.

"Are you sure that they're from your old world and realm? That they really know you?" He asked me, having me raise my eyebrow at him almost in shock there as he was about to stammer to back up his claim.

"Look, something about them rubs me the wrong way. I don't know if it's because I've known people who lied to me in the past, or —" He started, but I spoke up finally since I felt like I couldn't hold my tongue anymore with what I was hearing.

"I think they are from my old world," I argued, seeing him go silent there now as he could see I was clearly agitated, "I felt it when I talked to them when they explained to me what happened. They know about O.B., they used to work for him."

"That's my point! What if they're still working for him now and trying to kill you for the guy?" He questioned me again, almost having em take a step back. I felt a hint of betrayal there underneath my skin coming from him, a person whom I thought would have my back and my good thoughts pressed forward. But it felt like that wasn't the case at all with August. I looked down, not wanting to burst out at him and in front of the plenty of other people there in the diner now since it would make me look more like the village idiot and I tried to breathe out all that I was feeling there and just let it slide. But it was nearly impossible.

"You said so yourself, August, that this place can help me get back to my home, back to where I belong," I reminded, him, shifted from one foot to another now as I heard nothing from August then, "I feel like this is going to lead me back to where I really do think is my home. And I thought the one person who would realize that the most and be supportive of me was you."

"Cleo, please…" August tried but I finally looked at him with a bitter smile on my face.

"You know, I don't even know if that's my real goddamn name anymore. I don't know who I am and all I wanted was a bit of support with that, but I don't think that's gonna happen now," I moved away from him after I said that, walking away from the others in the booth and see them watch me with big eyes and wondering where I was going. Once again I felt like I was suffocating and not able to breathe or think. August was not going to help me, the three siblings who were giving em so much information were seeming to like me but not fully telling me what was going on, and I felt like I was taking more step backward then forwards.

I was back to square one all over again


	8. Chapter 8

I stopped in the middle of the road, moving my hoodie from my head again now as I was breathing in the thick misty air that was coming into the town. I was fuming, both at myself for maybe being a bit on the naive side, but for August for not having enough faith in me. For those three young kids back there back at the diner for filling my head back with the fantasies and thoughts of my old life and what it was consisting of.

It felt like I was once again alone, even in this town of magic.

The necklace around my neck felt heavy, so heavy there since it was all coming back to me again. I thought back to that hill with the moon, the crooked town and Jack. This Jack…..I felt my heart tug at the thought of the person who I was linked to in my past. It felt like I was about to walk into come kind of trap. This had t be a trap, it just had to be since it felt like I was getting more than what I bargained for when it came to be figuring out where I came from.

"You need my help yet, dearie?" I paused from looking down at the necklace there along with my fingertips and I felt another twinge of chill going down my spine and over my head. I really didn't want to turn around and think that I saw what I sis hear from behind me, but I felt as though I had no other choice. I turned on my boots, slowly turning and then looking down the street, seeing none other than Rumplestiltskin. He was standing there, still looking calm and collected like he did when I met him bak in the library for the first time. He was already having a good time seeing me there and looking rather troubled and out of sorts myself. He must think that he was going to get the upper hand when it came to me.

"You're not here to help me," I stated since I knew people like them more than he thought I knew about him. I barely talked to the guys but I knew clearly that he was not someone for me to mingle with when it came to being kind. He was wanting something from me, of course he did, I could sense it from him. I felt my hands at my sides, feeling like I had to place my guard up with him there as he just grinned at me.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, trying to be so innocent.

"Because men like you just don't want to be nice,"I reminded him. He paused, holding his cane there in his hand like he was going to use it like a weapon with me. I was far enough away for him not to strike me, but I was still going to stay on my toes when it came to this guy.

"All I want is for you to be on your merry way," He reminded me, in which I rolled my eyes.

"As if you saying that is going to drive me out of here," I snorted at him, seeing him then take a few steps over to me now, a determined look in his eyes and on his face.

"You're right. Because since those three little friends of yours came into town, things are now a bit more complicated," I was confused as to what he was doing there and why he was saying that "You see, I thought it was going to be easy driving you out of here and not stirring up trouble, but I think that's going to be a little bit harder."

"What are you talking about?" I asked him, seeing him clear his own throat and then raise his fingers up in the air nest to him, about to snap his fingers there. I wondered what he had up his sleeve, and once he snapped his fingers, I felt the floor beneath give out and everything went into darkness.

I blacked out.

* * *

"Of course I'm a little angry about that situation. You let three of your minions here into this realm without realizing it while you were wiping our the rest of the memories from the rest of your town. I'll take care of them since you can't do it yourself, and I have one more important thing I have to take care of."

My head felt heavy, I was slowly blinking myself awake and having the feeling like my hands were tied behind my back and I was sitting in some kind of chair. It was dark where I was, there was a musky scent there in the air and the warmth of what could be a fireplace that was nearby. Where was I?

It clicked: Rumplestilskin.

The sound of a phone clicking off made me wake up a bit more now as I was noticing that I was in some kind of cabin, probably out in the middle of the woods out from Storybrooke.

"Looks like I'm going to have to take care of you the old fashion way," I heard behind me, hearing his voice again and having the sea kind of fear going down my back from when I heard the voice so long ago, threatening me and having me almost remember. It was the same thing all over again, someone threatening my life and having me think that I wasn't going to fight back.

He walked over to stand in front of me, tucking his phone away there in his jacket pocket and I could see the light of the fireplace dancing off his face. He was thinking in his head some ways to either kill me or do something else that could be beyond nasty. I waited there since I wasn't able to speak because of the bandana there around my mouth to stop me from talking.

"You think me killing you here would be too much trouble since no one will want to find out where you are?" He asked me, having my eyes go big a little bit on how he said it. It was like he was agitated with me, my presence there within his town or what he thought was his town.

"I don't think I'm going to do that just yet," He replied, almost like he was talking to himself when I moved my fingers around me a bit to feel out what was holding me back against the chair. It felt like a thick rope of some sort, the scratchy feel of it against my skin made me think. I could get out of this within seconds if I could. Another perk that I found with myself when it came to my bones and my muscles, I had a certain knack of getting out of a situation.

Meaning, I was double jointed in my bones.

I moved my finger around, pinching them down to have it bearable for me to slip my hand out of the tie there against my wrists. It felt like it was going to work in my favor as he was getting closer to me with his walk and in his swagger of a stance.

"There must be something in there that's worth extracting, and I do promise you, dearie, it won't be feeling too pleasant," He explained, already feeling like eh was going to go into some kind of torture session with me . I moved my wrist some more, feeling them slip through the rope there almost with ease I didn't know what he had in store for me when it came to torture, or what kind of torture he was into, but I wasn't going to wait around to find out.

He reached into his jacket pocket the different one from where he placed his phone, taking what looked like a small vile with some red liquid inside. I was watching his every move without moving my own head and just keeping my hands occupied and moving to get the ropes off of me. I didn't want him to see, but it was still scary enough that he could catch me at any moment.

"Should I tell you what's in this," He asked, thinking that it would be nice enough for him to tell me what he was going to poison me with, "Let me in on a little hint: I get your memories, but not the nice ones. I'll get your nightmares, all the bad ones, and trust me, deary, it's gonna hurt."

I cringed a bit, seeing him walk over to me and already trying to feel one of the wrists about to be free for me to at least get myself out of there and away from him. But the closer hew as getting, the less optimistic I was feeling about it since I was afraid of the bad memories that he was about to extract from me. What was I going to see? What was he going to see?

The front door to that cabin that we were in was busted open and the door itself hit the wall opposite of it, crashing and having Rumple look away from me finally, almost in shock to hear the cracking sound of the wood and I looked too since it as so booming it almost shook the whole house.

One arrow was shot into the cabin, almost hitting Rumple and nicking his jacket sleeve enough to have me hear the rip and Rumple took a step back in shock. Finally, we saw a couple of people push their way into the cabin. I recognized who it was finally, and I had a sigh of relief as Rumple was then knock down to the floor by some kind of force, almost like it was magic.

"You're not gonna touch her."

August, along with Emma, Regina, and Robin Hood.

"I'd stay down if I was you, Rumple," Regina growled at him as she had her hand out at him, the magic there amongst her fingers was still active and some fizzling there as I was watching the whole thing from my spot there tied to the chair. Rumple moving around on the ground as I could hear Robin draw another arrow and aim it right at Rumple as he was slowly getting up. He was too close to me, having me think that he was about to grab me as he got up slowly again and stood near me, his hand was close enough to grab my hair if he wanted to as I felt one of my wrist break free and stay there behind me.

"You had to interrupt, didn't you Regina? Don't you know your own place?" He asked her, already sounding bitter that his own plan was foiled. I moved my hand that was free from the bondage and I eyed Rumple for the perfect opportunity.

"You don't know your own since you looked like you were about to drug her and bring her nightmares. Don't you know the damage that will bring us? You're about to bring out more than your own fair share of memories," Regina explained to him

"All this needs is to touch her skin and it all come to light," Rumple advised them now, now unplugging the top of the vial and holding it too close to my head there, the rest of the group stopped and looked at me in horror. They didn't want to move or see my nightmares would come out, and now it felt like we were at a standoff from an old western flick. I didn't want any nightmare to come out since it might hurt the others in the process. Who knew what, or who for that matter, was going to come out and grace us with its presence.

"I didn't think so. I know precisely what's going to come out, and who will I see too," Rumple explained to them, having me look over at August. He looked like he was about to kill Rumple with his bare hands there, the hate was on his face as he flicked his eyes over to me know. I mauve red my hand for him to see, seeing a small glimpse of hope there on his face. He knew too, but he too was not showing the truth and he stayed so still.

"Who's gonna come out?" Emma asked him, her stance was stern as well as I looked back at Rumple now, thinking that it was now or never.

"Let's just say he's an old friend," I shot up from the chair, ducking underneath the vial that was still hovering over my head and I threw me hands across his face with the rope still attached to one of the wrists. He fell within an instant, my foot moving out of the way before the vial could be able to hit the ground. But even before it did and was about to shatter all over the floor, it froze in the air, inches away from the wood floor. Rumple was out cold, crumpled against the wood there and no longer moving.

I looked over at Emma, who apparently was the one who froze the vial in the air from hitting and smashing all over the ground. I sighed in relief as August was walking over to me now in a fast pace, placing a hand on my arm there and I felt an instant sign of warmth from him.

"You okay? Did he hurt you?" He asked me in panic as I shoved the rope on my other wrist off and it fell to the ground in a heap. Emma walked over to the floating vial and picked it up carefully to find the cork top as Robin lowered his bow.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I reassured him, looking down at Rumple on the floor, "I learned how to get out of a rope tie a long time ago."

"When?" August ask, more intrigued with the trick than my own well being.

"Back when I was working the vigilante circuit. Hell, how else did I escape from Stromboli?" I asked him in a snort now as he slowly grinned at me, a small pause between the both of us there as I saw him nervously lick his lips and keep his hand there on my arm.

"I'm sorry for what I said," He started with me, the voice he was now using sounding like he regretted what happened in the past when we had our fight with the three kids from my old world. I knew he was looking out for me, and I was just thinking in the moment and with what was going to be good for me. August was still August, a good enough friend to stay close enough to me and grounded enough for me to rely on.

"You were looking out for me," I reassured August, seeing him give me a sad smile since I was admitting it and rethinking that whole conversation, "It's me that needs to say sorry, for snapping at you when all you were doing was looking out for me."

"I care about you," He added, and I grinned at him as I was rubbing my wrist there from the rope agitating it.

"And I care about you too," I agreed, the both of us were now back on good terms again.

"What kind of magic is that?" Robin Hood wondered as Emma was no holding the vial within her fingers. I could see her examining it thoroughly, turning it without moving a single drop from the small tube onto the floor. It was a weapon, I had the sense from the moment Rumple brought it up to light and was about to use it one me. But since it was still active, no one wanted to move or make it move.

"I don't know, but I wanna find out. I didn't think Rumple would have it in him when it came to this kind of torture," Regina commented as she walked over to levitate the vial within her own hands with magic. There was some kind of bubble that went around the vial to make it float, almost guarding it.

"I wanna know what's in it," I said to her finally, hearing my voice and how it almost sounded desperate. I knew that whatever was coming was going to be nasty and almost dangerous, but then gain if it had something to do with my past and where I came from, there had to be some kind of chance for it.

"I need to test it first, see what's in this and how Rumple got his hands on something this dangerous, if what he's saying is true," Regina explained as she watched me. I didn't want to give her a dirty look since I knew where she was coming from. We had to figure out if what he was saying was true: if this was a dangerous piece of magic that was strong enough to bring out all of the darkness in one person.

How much was it going to come out?

* * *

"How's the wrist?" August asked me as we were sitting in my rented apartment. He looked at it from his spot on one side of my bed as I was thinking once again in my head. I felt like I was going through enough as it was, the three young teenagers who called me Sally and who knew the man who took my memories, my constant thoughts that were leading to a man named Jack, and now Rumple claiming that my nightmares was some sort of key into something that was far bigger than what anyone had in mind.

"It's really nothing," I reassured as I twisted my wrist a bit more, the dull pain was still hitting me from time to time from the rope there that rubbed against my sensitive skin.

"I thought being tied up as a puppet was bad," August commented as more than a small joke, in which I chuckled.

"Sometimes I forget you were a puppet," I added, seeing him watch me now as I gave him some kind of sad smile, "The small little boy of a puppet who just wanted to be a real boy. And here you are."

"Some of that was because of you, you know that?" He asked me, having me slowly nod my head and he could tell I was still thinking uneasy things about all that was unfolding ever since I stepped into Storybrooke.

"This is the very first time that I feel very lost," I admitted between the both of us, rethinking all that happened between the past few days, "I never felt this lost in a long long time."

"I don't think you're lost," August tried to comfort with his soothing words, "I just think you're still searching for yourself, but that doesn't mean you're lost." Was what he was saying true? Was it possible to not be lost?

"Still, it would be nice to get some of the input from the Enchantress," I commented, mostly to myself since it felt like it's been forever since I spoke to her and every heard something from her that would be even close to being good advice or a new task. I missed her, somewhat, and how she was one of the only friends I had for what felt like forever.

"Ask and you shall receive," We both looked at her each in a confused manner, hearing a third person that sounded like she was in the room. At first, I had no idea why I was hearing that and how she sounded so close.

"What was that?" August asked as he looked around, me instantly shooting up from my spot on the bed and over to where my backpack was, knowing who it was and where she was talking from. It was near my door to the bathroom, having me reach into the backpack. It was already glowing inside, which made me grin since I knew that it was her while I took out the mirror itself.

She was there. Enchantress.

"Hello," She said to me, her smile beaming there and I couldn't help but smile back at her, "I can see you've fit in perfectly at Storybrooke."

"It's been awhile, Enchantress." I voiced to her, having me head August walking up behind me and then looking over my shoulder at him. He looked shocked to see me talking to a mirror, not to mention seeing another person's face there in the mirror. It made me realize that he's never seen her before.

"August, this is the Enchantress. She's the one who sent me to you to help you," I introduced him to her, seeing him stand behind me and watch the mirror in awe and in shock at the same time.

"Hello August," She said to him, in which he gave a silent smile and wave since he was still getting used to a person talking in a mirror in front of me.

"Hi," he replied, thinking that he couldn't say anything else in the heat of the moment. It made me chuckle lightly as I looked back at Enchantress in the mirror.

"There's been a development in another realm, something has come out to Storybrooke just now in the forest where the portal was," She explained, having me shift and place the mirror in both of my hands now, feeling a tinge of shock there going down my back from what she told me. That mark there in the forest was a portal? An Actual portal?

"It's a portal?" August asked now, both to me and Enchantress.

"Yes, an ancient one that barely is ever used by anyone in any of the realms. It's only used for a drastic measure," She explained, answering his question and mine as well.

"Who opened it?" I asked.

"A very old enemy and someone who is beyond powerful. The very one who sent you out to this world without your memory." She explained, having me freeze there and think that I lost my voice. That portal was opened by the person who wanted me gone from my home, maybe even dead if I was going, to be honest. I didn't know what to say and what to do in that moment. Now it was opened, and anything could and would happen if I knew magic real well.

"What's his name?" I asked softly, almost as if I was afraid to ask that question of her. I felt August place his hand on my shoulder now as Enchantress looked at me square in the eye without falter.

"He's the Boogy Man."

That name alone made me look at her with wide eyes. He was the one who did this to me? That being? Of all people? How was it so? He was a long lasting legend of someone being in terror and fear. He's been down for centuries all around the world. Children were afraid of him, beyond afraid, and now I was his personal target.

"Who is he?" August asked, mostly to me now since he saw my body going stiff and being so still in fear.

"He's the one who gives children nightmares, the shadow in the moon at night," I said in a grim tone, "Trust me, he makes Stromboli look like a child when it comes to evil," I could hear August gulp when I brought up his old master and it made me cringe too. I didn't want to bring Stromboli up, but August had to know who we were dealing with. Now it was all down to one more question on my lips.

"What does he want with me?" I asked out loud, the one question that was haunting. Was it something that I did in the past? Did I say the wrong thing? I felt like I did, took one step too far and then it was all hell from there.

"I don't know, but I don't want you to stick around anytime soon," She warned me, now having em look at her in concern.

"What does that mean?" I asked a thing along the top of my skin, almost like I was getting a gut feeling that we were about to go into some kind of trap with this Boogy Man.

"It means, that Storybrooke is about to go to war."


	9. Chapter 9

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to stop him."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Don't know but I have to do something," I was walking back onto the main street, August right on my trail, my backpack on my shoulder and my own head swimming with the discovery of an enemy that is now in Storybrooke and he is after me. This was one of the biggest enemies there was not after me in this town, which was not even close to being fair for the town itself. They did not deserve to have this fight there amongst them, it was between me and him.

"You can't go against him by yourself," August tried to argue with me as I was still walking at a brisk pace, already wanting to tell him that now as not the best time to have an argument with him.

"I've fought bad guys before," I corrected him, "He won't be as bad."

"You're a pretty bad liar sometimes," August said in a statement as he caught up with me. It made me huff at him and almost glared at him. He had a bad habit of wanting to bring things out of me at the worst moments. This was ultimately the worst timing for this kind of talk.

"And you're pretty bad at starting these kinds of talks," I countered.

"Look," August grasped my arm to stop me, the both of us stopping in the middle of the street and staring at each other like we were in a stare down. There were plenty of things that I wanted to him, but nothing was really going to come out since all I could think about was the enemy.

"If you going to fight this thing or person, don't do it alone. Nothing comes well when you're alone, trust me." He explained, almost sounding so sincere with it and I could tell he didn't want me out there all alone. It was like he was talking out of an experience like he lived through the thought of being alone.

"I can handle it," I reassured him, a bit softer than yelling.

"I'm not saying you can't, I'm saying you can have more numbers behind you," He explain, then the both of us heard some loud explosion of some heard away famous, over in the same direction of the forest. It made em cringe a bit, the explosion was clearly coming from the Boogey Man himself.

"What was that?" Both August and I wiped our heads back around to see Emma, Hook, Snow White, Charming and Will coming over to us now, seeing and hearing the explosion. They all looked worried, in which I moved my arm out of the hold that August had on me to face them, My hand was still on my backpack on my shoulder, feeling somewhat of the weight from the mirror being buried in there somewhere.

"It's the Boogy Man," I replied, seeing all of their faces looking beyond blank and almost out of place when they heard who it was.

"Who?" Will asked, his voice almost going a bit too high since he sounded scared.

"Yeah, he's the guy that sent her here without her memory," August explained a bit awkwardly as I started walking from them now, now looking at the forest and then seeing some dark smoke rising from the tops of the trees. Another sign of the Boogy Man and his presence there in the area.

"You're going to go after him?" Charming asked me as they were slowly following me since I could hear their feet.

"I'm ending him before he does any more chaos here," I answered him, then looking over my shoulder and I could see they were all following me. They all liked they were afraid to see me go in there, Snow White looked more like a mother that was seeing her child go to the slaughter.

"You by yourself?" She asked me, the others waiting for my answer. Even in the way they were standing made it look like they were ready to defend me in car something was going to come over our way.

"I've dealt with bad guys before," I reassured all of them, but I could tell that was not going to be enough.

"Yeah, but since it's here in our town, we're going to help out too," Emma answered.

"But he's after me. Not any of you, but just me and me alone." I explained, almost a bit too roughly since they had to realize it. They had nothing to do with him, he was only after me and wanting to end me because of some big vendetta that he has with me or against me. Who knew, I still didn't know why he wanted me dead. But all I that I really knew was that he was powerful, ruthless, cunning, and a force not to be trifled with.

"If he's as powerful as you assume he is, as we think he is, then there is no way we want you to go in there all by yourself and face him alone," Charming explained with his stoic tone of voice. I had to bite the inside of my lip from wanting to argue with them anymore, even when they were the heroes in all the stories and they were the good guys. But it was only my fight.

"Come on, Luv," Hook said in agreement as he could see the hesitance on my face, "At least let us come with you and some kind of support….though, in my opinion, you don't need it."

"She doesn't," Will did comment in agreement, seeing me with his own worried face as he was standing by Hook, "I'm goin' with ya no matter what."

Another explosion was heard, the whole group of us looked in the direction again and more smoke was coming from the forest, not to mention a small shake of the earth and then a thunderous voice echoed into the air.

"RUMPLESTILTSKIN!"

No one moved from the voice being echoed, sounding way too deep for being a normal voice. The voices sounded like it had centuries of shoes and fear behind it. I thought he would try to call out my own name, whatever that name may be. But it wasn't the case, and it took my surprise.

"Didn't expect him to go after that bloke," Will said in an amused tone, having me place the other strap over my shoulder now and start walking, no longer in the mood to talk to a rogue about this whole thing with them. I didn't care anymore if they were going to follow me to what could be my death. But it was not going to be fair for this whole town, these heroes that have nothing but kind to me, die because of my existence.

It was not how it was supposed to go.

* * *

"You have a plan?" August asked me as we all were walking through the woods. It was beyond eery in there, the tall trees looked a bit darker The distinct smell of smoke was filling the way, but it was not coming from a fire since this smell was more of the brimstone than a fire stench. There was an even a sense of doom there in the forest, compared to other days that I was out there in the opening. I had more uncertainty flowing through me than before when it was just a regular walk through the forest.

"Not really," I replied in a huff, having a small gut feeling that we were getting closer and closer now to the portal opening, very step being more and more tedious and careful than the previous step. I looked over at Emma, who placed her phone back in her pocket and the look of determination was on her face.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I got Regina to evacuate the townspeople in case something does happen. She'll join us after she gets them all to safety," Emma answered.

"Better to be safe than sorry," I said in agreement, seeing him look over at me now with a hint of concern since I was more collected about this whole ordeal. I wasn't sweating, nor was I looking like I was scared out of my wits.

"You seem rather cool about this whole thing," Emma commented, sounding a bit hesitant.

"I've been fighting bad guys for a long time, Emma," I explained in a bold manner, "It just happens to be this particular one wants me dead and I don't know why."

"And he's the one who took your memories," Emma added, having me nod my head.

"All the more reason for me to talk to him and see why he wants me dead," I replied between the pair of us, "Maybe I did something to him in the past that would have him do this to me."

"That sounds doubtful," August chimed in from my other side, "I thought those three little guys said that he took away the memories of everyone back in your old world, not just you."

"That's true," I said, remembering that talk back in the diner and how it went down when they were telling me about the home I forgot. They told me that it wasn't just me, it was others that fell victim, and they were escaping him from doing the same to them. There was more to this than I thought.

"Where are those guys anyways?" Will asked in curiosity from behind me as he was walking with Charming,"I thought they would be attached to you by the hip." I wondered the same thing too, they were all over me when they came into town. But now they were nowhere to be found. It made me worry that something happens to them, yet we were tracking closer and closer now as something was crunching far in the distance, like trees snapping underneath something large and with full force. The ground underneath was quivering, and we all stopped for a brief second to get a hold of ourselves and to find out what that was. Of course, I could feel my mirror in my backpack trying to contact me. Enchantress had great timing on her part.

"I'm a little more concerned now," Snow White said behind me as I grabbed my backpack, throwing in front of me on the floor and I opened it, reaching in to find the mirror there at the bottom. I saw it there grasping it in my hands and seeing the Enchantress's face appear in front of me with the look of distress.

"Don't go further, it's not safe for you," She tried to warn me, but I shook my head.

"It won't be safe for the people in this town if I let this happen. I have to stop him somehow, and I need your help." I said to her, hearing the crashing noise some more, but it was closer and louder.

"You're far too valuable to be lost, trust me please," She pleaded, having me watch her now and see the genuine fear on her face. I never saw that on her face before, and it was now scaring me since she was someone I saw a powerful and fearless, "Someone else is there trying to stop him."

"Who?" I asked, clenching the mirror. Someone else was going to stop him? Before she could answer, something that sounded like a rip in the air was heard and it was booming. I almost dropped the mirror in my hands from the loudness, getting up from the ground as I could hear someone yell out.

"You dare to try and stop me?!" That voice, the same one from moments before that wanted Rumplestilskin was louder than ever, and he sounded beyond angry. Within a second, I didn't know what to do. I felt stuck in my spot there along the forest floor. Someone else was in the picture, which was making it more confusing for me since I didn't know who it was and why they were helping me. But it was only for a second, making me realize the drastic notion that this could all go to hell within seconds.

I was running without having a second thought to it.

"Cleo!" August was running after me as I was bolting towards the sound, towards the chaos and having my feet run faster than ever Something inside of me was tugging at my heart, something inside for me was telling me to run and to find something that was warmth onset and good. It was a tug in the right direction, I could feel it. That instinct that whatever it was that I was searching for was so close and I was in need of it. Another crash of sound was coming through the forest, and I could see something flying towards me. It was a thick tree branch, and it was coming so quick that I had no choice but to throw my body to the ground in order rot not be squashed. It flew over me, having me feel the force of how fast it was going as it went past my body and another roar ripped through the area.

I looked up again, the tug was back in my heart again and it was harder, a dull pain that I was feeling and I had to chase it. Someone was there, and it might have been the source of this tug that I experienced from time to time since I came to this town. A certain magic was over this place, and it was now consuming me.

"I won't let you take this town and the innocent people there!"

It was a new voice, a voice that I thought I knew maybe, almost like it was in a long lost dream. It had me lose my breath: I knew that voice. I really knew it, it was the same one I heard when I had my dream under the spell that Regina placed me. The male voice the soothing and yet triumphant voice that was always so sure and true.

"You can't stop me, Jack!"

Jack….Jack….I knew that name. That name rang in my head so clear and so loud like a bell. It made me almost lose my footing as I was still running to the two voices and more of the thundering sound of the forest being ripped to shreds. I didn't care if the others were chasing after me if they were considering trying to stop me because that tug within me was magnifying since I heard that name being rung in the air.

"You've done enough, Boogey!"

After I heard that, a grunting sound was heard and what could be the sound of a body hitting a tree was witnessed, having me panic and run faster. Was that Jack? Did he get hurt? Was I too late?

Finally, turning a small corner to the left, what I saw in front of me was beyond words. A large black mass that pretty much the size of a building was hovering over the clearing, right on top of the portal there on the ground. A swirl of blue and purple there amongst the black, the haunting sounds of what could be screams or shouts of pain. I could feel the magic coming off of the mass, a haunting sense of the magic that seemed to be more dreadful than powerful than good. This was bad magic. There was no sign of another person, of Jack whoever he was. It was just that mass wall of magic and chaos

"Leave now before I end you!" The voice was coming from the black as, the deep velvety voice of pure evil was big enough to shake the branches within the trees around the area. Something within me triggers again from seeing the mass, but even seeing a face there within the black smoke and the swirling evil magic that was engulfing the mass. But I knew who this was, I knew what it was capable of, and it had to be stopped once and for all before anything else were to happen.

"Hey!" I roared, my voice was big enough to have the mass look over at me, having me now see a pair of two large eyes. They were deadly eyes, large enough to be the moon, the both of them together, almost pale yellow in contrast to the black mass behind it, and they curved up as if the mass itself was smiling with no mouth. But as soon as we locked eyed, me being so small and him being so large, I could tell I might have made somewhat a huge mistake.

"You," He growled, moving slightly to face me completely, and I felt more like an ant in front of him. The others were right behind me, having me hear Snow draw out a bow and aim right at the mass. I was afraid for them now, "I thought I had you dead. It seems as though I was wrong."

"Whoever you are, you're not welcome here," Emma warned him behind me, the mass growing in size now to the intimating that this mass was feeling against us. I threw out my hands at him, almost like it was a faint and stupid attempt to stop him from doing something beyond stupid.

"No, no! You answer to me!" I said to him now, seeing his eyes go back to me and they were getting deadlier from just looking right at me.

"You're right. I'll only kill you and leave them since you're the only one that I want," he replied, then having em see the black mass shrinking little by little, growing smaller in front of me and almost morphing into the shape of what could be a human. I stayed quiet, not moving or saying a single sound as it was now making the shape of a human, standing in front of me before finally, the class mass moved out of the way.

A man stood in front of me but it was still Boogey.

He looked middle-aged, but the smoothness and the sinister look on his face showed how evil he was. He had the same yellow eyes, fitting his angled yet chiseled face as he wore what looked like a dress shirt with a small vest over the top, slacks and black shoes, a loose tie and his hair smoothed back and shaved at the sides.

"You were the one that slipped through the cracks," he said, his voice no longer loud and boisterous as it was moments before, but it was still deep and almost like a chilling roll off of one's back, "And you were the one most dangerous to me." I stayed still, some of my part of me told me to run and be far away from him. It was a warning, but the other side of me told me to stay at face him.

So I did.

"Well, here I am, Boogey Man."


	10. Chapter 10

"I didn't think you would survive out there on your own…yet here you are." He said to me now as he was looking at me down and down, almost a snarl was on his lips there from what he was seeing and what he was experiencing. I stayed still, the fear was still lingering underneath me but I didn't want that too how just yet. I wanted him to see that I was not going to be moved by there, by him. Even the air around us was getting lower and colder.

"Look at you….I must say….you're decent," I cocked my head at him as he said that in such a light manner.

"Is that a compliment?" I asked, sounding a bit unsure.

"It is, trust me. I've done worse damage to others back at home, including that Mayor. You should see him now, unrecognizable. But I must say…I should have done worse with you," He answered as he placed his hands in his pockets, "How you were the one that got away…it still…bothers me," He sounded agitated. The knitted brow on his face, how he seemed to hunch over himself very slightly since that topic of me escaping him was bringing back a not good feeling. It was like I was hitting a nerve without me trying to.

"I'm guessing I did something to you that brought this whole thing together," I guessed with him since he was looking down at the ground and was already having a moment to himself. But right after I said that I saw him keep his head down and his eyes lock with me alone. I instantly saw him there, the Boogey man himself. I saw the raw fear that he's unleashed on those who crossed him, on those he feasted on, and now, he was doing the same with me.

"It wasn't you that I was after…dear one," He commented, his voice was velvet and low. I could feel the vibration of how he was talking along the top of my skin, "No…it was your husband that I wanted."

My husband…..

"Jack," I said in a nervous manner, the small smile on his face appeared when I mentioned him.

"Oh, now you remember your beloved. I didn't wipe him from you fully, must have been my mistake on my part. You see…my problem was with him and how he was so loved by everyone around him…how he was always the hero and he tried to kill me…well he did," He let out a sarcastic chuckle from the last comment to his explanation. I could still remember in in that town, hearing Jack's voice and how everyone was cheering for him, but the rest was still too fuzzy.

"I took his friends….though I didn't catch those three rugrats in time to get to them, his own dog that was already a ghost mind you….and but there came along you." He snapped his fingers near this face, instantly vanished to reappear in front of me, close enough where I knew he could get me in one swipe or one shove. I was waiting for that moment, but something was making him pause and almost lose himself. He was looking right at me, but at my collarbone, or what was hanging around neck against my collarbone

My necklace.

"I thought I had that destroyed." He murmured close enough for em to feel his breath as he spoke when he reached down to touch the very tip of the necklace. Once he did, he was launching back what sounded like a blast from where the necklace and his skin made contact. But I wasn't harmed nor did I feel any pain from it, seeing him fly high away from me in a launch and he fell to the forest ground. I was in shock from what happened, taking a moment to finally look down at the necklace and wonder how that could happen.

A simple bobbin necklace unleashed some kind of pain on the Boogey Man himself. I had a shield.

"You husband's little protection charm….a little more powerful than I remember," He said with a grunt as he got himself up from the ground, looking pissed that he couldn't touch me as I stayed still and held my ground now, "Looks like Jack stills has the upper hand."

Out of nowhere to his left and my right, something that seemed to be some kind of orange blast of energy and magic knocked him off his feet and against a tree. It was a shriek of magic heard, almost like a shriek from some kind of being and it even got him to stay down on the floor for a moment or two. I didn't know where it came from or how it got him to stay down like that, but it was suddenly answered with a moment as someone was walking over from the direction of the magical burst.

He was a tall young man, lean and almost a bit muscular in the dark clothes he was wearing. He had and angular face, but something about it brought some smoothness and both innocence and danger at the same time. He was wearing that looked like a leather jacket, black slim jeans, and boots, a black sweatshirt underneath the jacket with what seemed to be a skull. His hair was jet black, almost shaven down to being bald but I could see the color of his hair there.

His hand was outstretched towards Boogey, keeping his eyes on him while he was still on the ground. The young man looked stern, a hard and serious look on his face but I also saw the look of innocence and a hint of purity as well. He wasn't all bad, I knew that from just one look. Finally, after watching him for a moment or two of just watching him and sinking it all in, I spoke his name.

"Jack."

He looked over at me, and once we locked eyes, really locked eyes, I knew then that it was him. It was the one person that was somehow lost within this new life I had here since I woke up in the middle of the forest. It felt like everything that was lost within me was clicking wide open, no longer hazy or fuzzy. It was crystal clear: the small visions of the town, the musical melody that was playing over and over again like a constant regularity, and of course hearing his voice alone. His voice, it was my sense of home, and now he was right in front of me.

His eyes softened, instantly went from looking harsh and stern to almost a bit emotional when we were staring at each other. The way he looked at me was like he hasn't seen me in years, beyond years, and it was hitting him all over to see me there. With his hand still out over to Boogey in case he was going to do something, he finally spoke.

"Sally," How my name sounded on his lips alone sounded so pure and so true, naturally rolling off his tone but with emotion behind it. He sounded both relieved and scared at the same time to see me in front of him. He lowered his arm slowly, no longer seeming to have the appearance that he was going to kill someone with a flick of a wrist.

I was only focusing on him, no one else and not even Boogey. All that mattered was Jack, and how everything inside of my own heart was feeling like it was pieced together. Within a second, once again without my brain really telling to stop and be careful, I was running to him and it was more of a bolt than anything. I missed him, without realizing that I was missing him far too much and I needed that hole to be filled.

We collided there in the middle of the forest, both of our arms wrapped around each other and my own breath was lost when we were connected. He felt solid against me, his own arms were around my waist in a protective manner, and I never felt safer in my life. My arms around his neck, it already felt like we've done this plenty of times before. This was familiar, this was real, and this was what I was missing.

"I thought I lost you forever," He whispered to me as we were still in an embrace, neither one of us were going to eat the other go anytime soon. My heart fluttered when he said that, and ti was such a frightful feeling hearing that from him and also just near him. And ache that I knew I missed was no longer there, and it was replaced with the soothing sensation of comfort and peace.

"He did this," I whispered to him, needing him to understand why we were in the situation we were in, and how we got here, "He made me…made me forget everything." It pained me to say it and to know that it was all from Boogey because he had some kind of resentment towards the man in my arms.

"It was because of me, I'm the one to blame," Jack reassured me as he was still holding em close and refusing to let me go. I didn't want to believe that, I really didn't want to since it sounded so cruel and unkind. It didn't feel right for us to talk about this now since we were having our own reunion together when I thought we were going to be separated forever from each other.

"Of course you are," Boogey said in an utmost growl from his spot away from us, both Jack and I looked instantly to see him stand up completely now, but his look was way beyond the look of wrath. Within a split second, Jack threw me behind him, shielding me from Boogey and it was so quick that I had no time to blink and see him.

"We can walk away from this, Boogey. But I'm not going to let you get Sally," Jack vowed to him, sounding stern again like he did before when he was fighting off Boogey all by himself.

"Just a snag in our plan to get rid of you, but since you both here, it'll be better to kill you both," Boogey replied in a snort now as he was seeing us as the two brand new target, twice as much for him. I didn't know how we were going to handle him, the both of us since Jack was the one who had the powers, not me. What could I do against a nightmare like him?

"You know you can't touch her," Jack reminded him, already having me remember the necklace that was around my neck. Up to this point, I didn't think fit as anything else than some kind of trinket the was a clue to my past. But it was more than that now, apparently.

"I blame you for that, your little wedding present prevented me from getting even a scratch on her," Boogey snarled back at him, instantly having em see him cut himself off as another blast on our left and his right that almost knocked him off his feet. He blocked tin time with his own magic, all of us looking at the source of the blast and I knew who it was. I forgot about them from the moment I was with Boogey Man one on one.

The heroes of Storybrooke.

"You're gonna have to do better than that to get a scratch, Amateur," Regina growled with her own one of authority, already having one hand out and ready for what could come from Boogey. Snow White had her bow and arrow drawn, Charming had his pistol from his holster armed, August was holding my backpack in his grip and Will had his hands curled into a fist.

"You shouldn't stand in a way of something that doesn't involve you and your band of merry men," Boogey said to her in a way to be threatening as I saw Will scoff at him from the remark.

"Oi, I take offense to that, fancy pants. But you best wander off before things get ugly," Will advised him. I stayed close to Jack, not wanting to lose him already since we just got back together again and things were clicking back in my head from what I forgot. All because of Boogey.

"And you happen to be in our town and first so….it kind of does involve us," Emma explained to him from her spot, hands out and ready. I slowly reached down to lace my fingers with Jack's fingers, feeling him hold my fingers too and suddenly I felt more at peace than anything, It felt like we were meant to hold hands, it was in our blood and in our wiring to holding hands and be this close. It was beyond natural to do seeming like this and not be afraid or awkward about it.

"Last chance, Boogey," Regina warned him, "I'm not afraid to get my own hands dirty with you since you're causing way too much chaos for one day."

"Trust me, I can turn worlds and dreams upside down," Boogey threatened back in his own snarl, "I'll end your town right after I end these two right here that have been the cause of all my problems," It was always getting worse and it felt like we had to get rid of him once and for all now. I looked over from where I was with Jack to August, seeing him watch me in concern since I was a bit too far away from him to do anything. With my backpack in his hand, I suddenly remembered something that I could use against Boogey if I was willing to try it. But I was too far away to grab myself, but I gave him one look, seeing him cock his head at me slightly before I motioned with my eyes to the backpack. He looked down briefly, not for too long, and he then knew what I was wanting him to do.

Get the mirror.

"You're not going to do that with them," Jack warned him since this was beyond messy. August slowly opened the top of the backpack without making too much movement, and I knew we had to distract Boogey enough for the mirror to be brought out and be used.

"If you want the both of us, then you can have us, not them," I said to Boogey, finally finding my voice in this whole talk, Jack squeezing my hand in a death grip. I could see him look at me over his shoulder as I was seeing August out of the corner of my own eye slowly reaching in and grasping something within the depth of the backpack, Boogey's eye were on me now, not Jack, but me as he was slowly grinning from the thought of just killing me, which was what he wanted all along.

"With pleasure," He purred, August then throwing out the mirror just in time for seem kind of rush of magic and wind to come out of the mirror itself, as if he activated something in the mirror, or someone. We all heard it, and we all were shaken by the force that came out of the mirror. Jack and I almost fell to the ground when the blast hit Boogey directly and he was pressed down to the ground by some kind of force that was keeping him down.

"You have no real power here," The voice was haunting, and I knew it from years and years of following orders from it. I stayed quiet and huddled close to Jack as the Enchantress spoke again, "I'll send you back to your own realm before you harm this one!"

A gushing beam light came from the mirror, in which August then dropped it to the floor and the beam was still coming out but shooting upward. I thought it would gong to hit the sky and the trees, going through the branches and sending that bright beam of green light out.

Jack was maundering the both of us away from the area, trying to get farther away from the force as the light was getting brighter and brighter now. The Enchantress, whatever she was doing, was apparently working since I could hear Boogey crying out. Was he in pain? It sounded like it, and when I tried to look over at him, I could only see the blinding light and it was getting brighter and brighter. It was far too blinding for me to just watch and not say anything since it was all unfolding in front of me.

She was killing him slowly.

"Leave now, or you will be condemned!" She boomed at him with her own threatening voice as finally something was bursting, almost sounding like a rip in the air. The force of air that came from the rip in the air knocked all of us off of our feet and then suddenly, everything was still and quiet once again.

What just happened?

Slowly, with my head against the ground and my arms around my head to protect myself, I moved my head up and looked around. Everything looked the same, but right where Boogey Man was just moments before and when he was so close to hurting all of us, there was a large black mark on the ground. It was the size of a tree, thickness as it was, and two large yellow eyes in the black marking on the ground. He was gone.

Boogey was finally gone.

"Sally?" I looked over to where Jack was, seeing him still close by me and he was reaching out to me in case I was hurt. I grabbed his hand, finally was close for us to help each other up as the others were getting up as well. We looked at the mark, everyone was stunned by what happened, and right next to the mark was the mirror, quiet and silent as if nothing happened to the mirror.

"What was that?" Will questioned in a huff as he was dusting himself off, the others I knew were thinking the same thing. I breathed out slowly, the moment of panic and fear was no longer a part of me now. A weight was lifted and washing like a blanket. I felt like I could live again, really live again since everything was coming to place for me now.

I finally knew more about my life, all because of my husband right next to me.

* * *

Author's Note: I pictured Jack Skellington being played by Josh Dunn in Twenty One Pilots, I can't help it he's handsome.

Thanks for the support for reading this small story. I thought we need some Nightmare Before Christmas in Once Upon a Time. Please leave a review and the next chapter will be the last one.


	11. Chapter 11

"He wants to see you."

I looked up from my spot outside my own apartment, knowing Jack was inside alone since he needed a moment or two. Right after we took care of Boogey for good, knowing that he was going forever and was not going to hurt us anymore, there was no time for a sigh of relief. I knew we had to think fast on how to fix things.

Namely, Jack and I going home.

It was still so raw for me to be reunited with him again, those memories flooding back to me so quickly and yet some of them was still shady for me to try and piece together. Whatever Boogey did to me, it was effective enough for me to still forget a few things here and there.

But all I knew that was true and constant, was Jack himself. I knew his face, I knew his voice, I knew how his hand felt in my own hand, and I knew how he felt when we hugged each other in an embrace. Those memories seemed like they were locked behind closed doors, and now they were wide open for the taking. Plenty of years of wandering around and not knowing where I came from, just taking order from an Enchantress in hopes that I would get some kind of clue as to who I was. But now that I was all laying out in front of me, an open book that was waiting for me to read the sentence after sentence. Of course, for the very rest time, I was scared to find out more about my own past since Jack was going to be the one to tell me.

Emma was just with Jack, talking to him and asking him questions about how he got to Storybrooke. I knew she wanted to make sure everything was going to be placed on good terms again in her town, but I was more anxious to talk to him in general.

"Is he okay?" I asked her, almost too carefully now as she faced me in the hallway near my apartment. She gave me a small smile.

"He's shaken a bit, but he's more concerned about you," She answered, having me look down at my hands that were folded in front of me. I was beyond nervous to go in there, I don't know why I was, but it was making me almost confused as to what I should do and how I should do it in general.

"Sally," She called my name, my real name finally as I looked at her now, "If it's all the same to you, I know a bit what it feels like to remember things that were taken from you, memories I mean. It's hard, a rough to be honest, but you have to open up to it." I knew she was telling the truth, that I should let this new part of my life come into play instead of trying to hide it and keep it at bay. The fear that I had, I knew it was mostly Boogey that did this in my life and it was not Jack, yet the nervousness was still engaging my brain.

But I smiled anyhow.

"Thanks, Emma," I thanked her, keeping it short and simple with her as she grinned back at me.

"Of course. Now I'm going to tell Will and August that you're not having a panic attack and you're talking to your husband." I grinned a bit, hearing that title that she gave him. That was something else that I had to get used to: I was married. Really? How was I going to Live with the fact that I was a wife and I had a husband when I was alone for a good amount of time?

"Let them down easy, will you?" I asked her in a joke as she was about to walk down the street, seeing her nod her head and smile at me to show that she listened. Slowly I got myself up from the chair I was sitting in, looking over at the door and took in my own careful breath. I knew that this was going to change everything from here on out: I was going to have a brand new life whether I was ready for not.

The door opened, very slowly as I could hear the creaking of the door as I peered inside. The small amount of light was in the room and it was giving a sense of peace. Nothing was moving in the room, but my eyes were gravitating to the person that was sitting on the bed against the window, looking out and not saying a word. He looked hunch over himself, his legs brought to his chest and his arms around his legs, trying to make himself smaller than he really was. I could see it on his face, he seemed to be thinking far too much.

I closed the door behind me softly, hearing the click and I maneuvered my way over to where he was, not trying to scare him already. It felt like we've done this plenty of times, the pair of us being together and consoling one another. This past that we both had was coming back again to me, slowly but surely but now this one felt different. We were in a different position now, away from our home and so close to almost dying from Boogey.

"Jack," I said his name softly, seeing him still stay quiet and frozen on the bed, thinking to himself and having a scrunched look on his face, "You're in deep thought."

"How can you tell?" He asked, carefully and softly with a rumble in his tone. It made me smile as I was close enough to the bed to reach out and touch him, but I wasn't going to just yet.

"You make that face whenever you're in deep thought, when you have an idea," I explained seeing him almost smile a bit when I stated that to him, "I think you made the very same face so many years ago when you thought you could be in charge of a certain holiday if I'm not mistaken."

"A mistake on my part no doubt," He said almost bitterly from the memory. I shook my head since he was not sounding like my husband that I knew and yet still didn't know thanks to the loss of my own memory. I moved my hadn't out then, simply to touch his cheek and to have him almost instantly melt against my touch and I saw him finally look over at me. I saw those eyes again, instantly thinking of a sense of peace within those eyes and that small hint of a flicker of light and joy.

"No," I reminded him, seeing him watch me without looking away or having hesitance in his eyes, "I do remember that…what happened to you," I had to smiled then, seeing Jack reach up to grasp my wrist with his hand and stay close enough there, almost a breath away.

"I didn't know what he did…I didn't think he would take it so far," Jack admitted to me softly between us, "He swore he would get revenge…but for him to do what he did…what wasn't revenge. It was something else,"

"That wasn't revenge that he did to you…to us and everyone else," I reminded him, "That was something far deeper and darker. But all that matters now is that he's gone, gone for good." Jack gave a small smile from that, having that idea in his own head that would hopefully make him feel better.

"How are we going to get back to normal, back at home?" Jack asked, mostly to himself now as he looked back out the window. I didn't know how to word it, since thinking about home back where we both belonged and came from seemed…off from me. I could barely remember the place, the only thing that can to mind was the actual hill with the moon right behind it. Some of the buildings within the town…what I saw in my vision when I took the potion from Regina…but it was still all fuzzy and jumbled within my own brain.

"You don't remember do you?" Jack asked me carefully as I was still quiet. It made me look down at my necklace around my neck, seeing it rest against my skin and how it both felt heavy and warm at the same time. It pained me that I couldn't remember anything about my home, what the smells or like or how the brick against the buildings would feel underneath my fingers. Nothing. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. I could even feel a tingle of a tear escape from the corner of my eye and almost falling to my shirt, but Jack reached to it first and caught the tear with his with his own finger.

"Why me?" I asked in a croak, why was it me that he decided to do this? It was still foreign for me to think that Boogey would want me to go through this kind of torture. I could hear Jack sigh, mostly to himself in frustration as I looked at him finally and I saw him fun his face in sadness there as he too was thinking to himself.

"He was trying to hurt me, and he knew that by killing you it would kill me too," Jack explained, moving so that our hands were linked together and sitting in the middle of the both of us there against the window. I stayed quiet, wanting to hear it from Jack now since I only hear it from Boogey himself.

"I knew he was up to something when citizens of Halloweentown were going missing. First, it was some of the witches and vampires…and then it was the Mayor…most of the children…and then The Doctor,"

Wait….I knew him.

 _"The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off, Sally…"_

"Dr. Finkelstein," I said suddenly, knowing finally who it was that I heard in my head. I heard him before in my head when I was out in the woods with Will, watching the portal int he ground. His voice, how I remembered it and how it would give me chills and made me think of disgust and hatred since he was the one who first gave me some kind of abuse.

"He took him too," Jack explained, "Held him captive since he thought he would make you talk because of that. He knew you would try and defend me, and by getting to Finkelstein he would get to you and then to me. But you didn't give him what he wanted,"

"He thought I would help him?" I asked, almost bitterly thinking about how Boogey would think that would work, "I hated the man."

"Well, he figured that much out when Finkelstein refused to even recognize you. The last ones that he tried to get were his own minions…Lock Shock and Barrel." I thought back to those three and two they showed up here in Storybrooke.

"How did they turn on him?" I asked.

"They're smart…and they knew he wasn't going to jeep them around anytime soon. Even after he got a hold of Zero. They took one of his dices that he held some of his power in….smart on their part since he uses his dices to get through different worlds and realms." Jack answered, having me look at him in shock from what he told me.

"Lastly, he went after you. After he found out that he couldn't kill you….he tried the next best thing that he would get me to snap: he wiped your memories of me and what we had together." I knew that was the truth, but how that became a reality was still off to me and shaky at the same time.

"I knew the only thing that could keep you safe was get you out of there, away from him. I tried to do it before he took your memories…but I was too late. I didn't think I was too late, I thought I got you out of here before anything could happen to you." Jack was saying it like it was about to come up and over him like a bad memory or something that he was trying to forget. I squeezed our fingers together, at least to show him not to go down that road and that memory.

"You did what you had to do, and you did save me. I could have been dead or long gone forever," I reminded him, seeing him watch our joined hands there in the middle of each other. He was weighing so much of what happened on his own shoulders, and I knew that feeling. When you felt as though you haven't done enough to save one person or a group of people.

"All we can do now is go forward from here and try to have our lives again," I added softly, since it was the only thing we both could do at that point, "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy to go back to our old lives together, even if I don't remember at the moment." Jack searched my eyes when I said that, already having em feel like I was breaking his face since I was bringing up my lost memory.

"There has to be a way to get your memories back," Jack said with hope in his voice now, bringing the subject back to my memories and how they were lost.

"I doubt there can be a way at the moment right now, trust me I tried," I commented, "But we'll try to get them back." It was then that Jack leaned his forehead over to touch my forehead, breathing out deeply since he was trying t calm himself with the thought as well as I was. It felt calming to be close to him, another distant memory that I could recall.

 _It came to me softly when we touched skins, where we shared a moment like we were then with touched foreheads and closed eyes. We were outside the town, out on that hill and we were alone together._

 _"I love you." He whispered in that memory, and it sounded and felt so real when he said it. This felt the same way when we were back in this small room away from our own world. We were still together. and there was no other place I wanted to be._

"I love you," I whispered to him while we were breathing each other in. I knew I was going to get my memories back sooner or later. I knew that all was going to come back into place and I didn't ave to worry about my old life anymore. A new life was going to come around the corner for me with Jack, and that final piece that I was missing this whole time.

* * *

"So, where do we go from here?" I was standing with Jack, along with Regina, Emma, and Charming with Snow White and August. Granny's Diner was closed for the night, but we were meeting there anyways since we were now trying to find another way home without having to resort to heavy magic since that didn't seem like the best way to go.

"I'm guessing we go back to the portal out in the forest again, but that could be a bit dangerous since we don't really know if there's still any of his magic out there," Regina explained cautiously, "Besides, we haven't seen those three little rugrats since Boogey popped up."

"I don't know where they are," I answered her, "Jack hasn't even seen them since he came to this realm. They must have gone on the run when Boogey came too."

"I thought they worked for him?" August suggested since he was confused.

"They turned on him when they knew he was going to kill them off," Jack answered, "Even they weren't safe, no one was."

"But they can get here, then they can probably know a way to get back," Snow suggested to the group since she was talking mostly to herself and getting her thoughts altogether. I realized something that Jack told me in the past when we were reconnecting together, and it made quickly grab Jack's jacket sleeve. He shot a look at me.

"Sally?" he asked me as I looked at him with my wide eyes.

"You said that Boogey's dice is what he uses to get from one realm to another, right? It was a tool," I explained, mostly as a reminder to him,"Lock, Shock, and Barrel took one of them,"

"How do you know?" Jack asked, facing me fully now.

"They showed it to me when they came here after they told me what Boogey was going to do to them," I answered.

"So, let's find those three and get the dice back," August added, thinking that it would be a simple plan of attack.

"Doesn't sound that Easy, August," Snow White was about to argue, " Those three seem to be more scared than anything. I doubt they'll show their faces around here anytime soon."

"They'll show their faces to me," Jack said to her, all of their faces looked at him since he sounded so sure about it, "Trust me. They'll come to me."

"You know how to summon them then?" Regina asked, almost in a sarcastic way but she still wasn't convinced about it really. It was then that Jack cracked a smile, the smile that I know I've seen so many times and that warmed my heart and soul.

"Actually I can."


	12. Chapter 12

"So apologizing for not listening to you would be an understatement," I said to the Enchantress as I was holding the mirror in front of me, sitting Indian Style on my bed. She was watching me, her kind and gentle site once again on her face, not one of anger that I thought she would have.

"I think it would, Sally," She said to me finally, "And I must say that the name suits you."

"I'm still getting used to it," I admitted to her, seeing her give me a kind smile now as I bit my lower lip,"But I have to know. I really need to know if you knew that Jack was there…before I got there." She paused, saying nothing at first and I knew she was trying to rethink thing in her head.

"I didn't know of Jack, but I knew Boogey was going to be there. He's a raw soul….very dangerous and powerful. I knew that he would be coming to Storybrooke and when he did, I wanted him farther away from you." She explained to me, "It didn't occur to me until Jack was there that you were connected to both him and Boogey."

"He took my memories from me just to get back at Jack…all for revenge or something like that," I explained to her, seeing her watch me as the hurt was clearly sprawled on my face and almost having me feel more down on myself. Even after talking to Jack on how it was not all his doing that this situation happened, but it was still painful that this was happening.

"You didn't deserve that, neither one of you," She stated to me, her voice sounding gentle and good to me as if she knew that I needed to hear that tone, "Although you now know your true past and who you are, I can still see pain in your eyes."

"This was not how I wanted it to be," I muttered, almost wanting to put down the mirror on the bed and not see her angelic face anymore since I felt plainer compared to her.

"I know, Sally. But from here on out things are going to change for you," I raised an eyebrow when she said that, having me get a weird feeling that something else was going to shift and change. I've had enough changes in my life, and for her to drop one more bomb on me was going to maybe throw me overboard.

"Since you have found out about your past, where you're from and what kind of life you had, I feel as though there is no more need for you to work for me," I instantly looked at her now, my face was laced with both hurt and uneasiness. For a split second, I wondered what she was talking about, why she wouldn't need me anymore and it scared me. But she said so herself: I was needed by her until I found out about my life and where I came from. She tried to help me find my own way, and in a case she did. So there was no need for me to work for her, and yet it felt painful just thinking about it. It was almost like a breakup, it could have been if I was going to be honest about it.

"I'll still there for you if you need help," She reassured me since she could see that sadness etched all over my own face "But you are free from working for me." Once again there was a pregnant pause, having her give me a small smile then as I was now thinking more to myself than being sad, "What? Did you think you would work for me forever?"

"No, I just…I don't know what to do with myself from here. No missions to do, no heroes to help save….what else is there?" She grinned at me when I asked her that infamous question, the same alone I knew could shape and change the ways of the earth from how pure it looked.

"Sally, I want you to live."

* * *

August was giving me an uneasy look when we were standing side by side out on the street, almost like he was trying to read me all over now as I was watching Jack stand out in the middle of the street. My hands were shoved in my jacket pockets, observing what Jack was going to pull really since it was clearly something that I wasn't remembering. Emma and the others were going through the forests for the last traits of Boogey. They weren't going to take any chances with him, and I wouldn't either.

"How are you going to get a hold of them?" August asked Jack from his spot next to me.

"Can't tell you. Wish I could," Jack replied in his high-hearted tone, having me grin as August had an uneasy look on his own face. I gazed at August, seeing Jack out of the corner of my eye take something out of his pocket and hide it in his hand.

"What is it?" I asked August, seeing him shift on his feet there and then look over at me.

"Cleo….I mean Sally. I have to get used to calling you Sally," He admitted, his small smile there on his face, "Sally….I take it you're going to go back to your own world."

"Where else would I go?" I asked him, not really thinking about it and how this was all going to change things. August still had that look on his face, that something was eating away at him and yet he didn't want to resurface it at that moment. Like he was holding it back.

"August?" I asked him, wondering what was going on in his head since it was concerning me that he wasn't being an open with me as he would be before. He made a quick inquisitive look at Jack, who was looking at the object in his hand before he looked back at me then, having me see some kind of emotion behind his blue eyes.

"It won't be the same without you around here, you know," He confessed, "You were the closest thing to a best friend that I had in quite awhile."

"I'm not going to be leaving forever, August," I tried to soothe as I could hear some of the emotion behind his voice.

"It feels like it though," He went on with it, having me instinctively scoot closer to him in some way to comfort him, "It feels like I'm losing a friend, and I've done that one too many times."

"I know you have," I agreed, reaching down to take his hand in my own hand give him some kind of sense of peace about the whole situation, "Believe me, and as weird as this is gong to sound, but I've seen you grow to this great person that you are now."

"I think some of that is thanks to you," He tried to reason with me, but I shook my head.

"That was all you," I explained, seeing him slowly smile at me now as I pointed at him with my spare hand, "And this is not going to be the last time we'll hang out together and be friends. You make it sound like I'm going to disappear forever off the face of the planet," He gave a small chuckle and shook his head. I nudged him with my shoulder.

"Come on, August. You're gonna visit," I said, seeing him eye me sideways now as he smirked at me.

"What's it like, there in your home world?" He asked me then, curious about the place that I called home. I shrugged my shoulders.

"It's nice if you don't mind the constant darkness and 24 hours Halloween feel," I answered him truthfully now as Jack finally spoke up to the both of us.

"You'd Like it August," He said in agreement, both August and I snapped out heads in his direction, "It's Halloween all the time. No place like it anywhere else, and it's the best holiday of the year."

"Says the boy who wanted to take over Christmas," I jabbed back at him, in which August looked at me in shock.

"He wanted to what?" he asked in almost a high pitched tone.

"Everything worked out fine in the end, Sally," Jack reasoned with me in almost a drag of his tone, then holding up what was in fact in his hand. It was a bag, a small bag that was brown and almost worn out and it was the size of his palm, "Anyway, I have what we need to get to them."

"A bag?" I asked, walking over to him now with August hot on my heels. We both met Jack in the street, Jack holding out the bag for me to take and I examined it, my eyes going wide, "Their trick-Or-Treat bag!"

"There's a summoning spell on this to get ahold of them if I needed it. After we saved Christmas and Sandy-Claws they gave it to me since they felt I saved them and all," Jack explained, August giving me a look and I sighed at him.

"He means Santa," I reassured August.

"Boogey placed the charm on this to get a hold of them for his dirty work. I didn't realize it was in the bag until I did it once by accident," Jack explained.

"How did you do it?" August asked him, seeing Jack stare at the both of us as if he was asking permission from me to summon the three of them. I nodded my head at him, seeing him bit his lower lip now and then hold out the bag in the palm of his hand. After a moment or two he threw out the bag up into the air, his hand still outstretched as he called the three of them out by name.

"Lock, Shock, and Barrel!"

After a split second, something that felt like a gust of wind came out of nowhere and almost shook my stance as it came up from underneath us. As soon as the bag touched the ground, a few feet away from Jack, something inside of the bag was growing, moving around as if it was lost. Was something lost? I then could hear some grumblings and murmur inside the bag, someone was in there. Instantly August and I jogged over to stand behind Jack, the three of us watching as three heads poked out from the opening.

It was them.

At first, not one them said a word. They were looking at Jack in shock, beyond shock to see him and then they almost looked a bit terrified at the same time. It made me wonder if something was about to blow up.

"Jack, we thought you were dead!" Shock said in his desperate tone, hoping that Jack would take that kind of bait. But Jack was quiet, giving each of them a hard stare now as he motioned with his finger for them to come out.

"Out, all three of you," he ordered them now as he backed away enough for the three of them crawling out of the bag as if they were crawling out of a manhole. As soon as all three of them were out, they stood in front of Jack almost cowering in fear and in wonder of what he was going to do to them. Jack crossed his arms in front of him, Barrel hid behind his sister in genuine fear now as Jack spoke up.

"I take it you knew that Boogey would come here?" Jack asked, his voice trying to be leveled and calm and yet I knew he was trying really hard not to bite their heads off.

"Possibly," Lock said with carefully precision, but he saw the look in Jack's eye and how he was giving the three children an intense scare, in which Lock gulped and nodded his head in a rapid pace, "Yes, yes we knew."

"He talked about how he was going to come here," Barrel whimpered from behind his sister.

"He saw Sally," I perked up when I was mentioned in the conversation.

"How did he know that she was here?" Jack asked now, sounding a bit more aggravated.

"You know how he is, Jack," Shock said in her timid tone now as she was fiddling with her fingers in front of her, "He knew and we wanted to come first to make sure she was okay." Jack paused, raising his eyebrow not when Shock said the last statement.

"You came to save Sally?" He asked, slower and more confused.

"Of course! We like Sally!" Barrel said in glee behind his sister. He looked at me in unrest to at least help the there of them from the anger of Jack. They knew what that was like, and they would not want to live through that again now with Boogey gone, they had no one to run and hide behind. They were now on their own.

"After we heard what Boogey was going to do with her, we came here and left Boogey before he could find out. We've always run from him and got away from it," Lock explained for the three of them. It was then that I stepped in since it felt like my own view of the trip shift a bit then, and instead of curiosity and almost betrayal, I felt a sense of compassion for the three of them.

"You left your home for me?" I asked them, almost foolishly now as Jack touched my arm with his fingers in both an act of agreement and in comfort.

"You were kind of us, Miss Sally. And we knew that we had to help you too." Shock explained. I instantly looked over at Jack, seeing him think to himself now as he bit his lower lip. I was now wondering what was happening in his head. Sometimes I could read him, and sometimes I couldn't. This was one of those moments where I thought he was far away in his own mind and inquisitive questions that were floating in his head. It made me want to speak out for him once again.

"Do you know how to get home from here, back to Halloweentown?" I asked the three of them. They all looked at each other, reading each other's faces and almost talking to each other through their eyes. Now that questions was hanging high in the air, and no one moved because they wanted to hear the answer.

"How did you get here? Did you use a portal?" Jack asked, having me think back to what felt like ages ago when the portal first appeared into the forest, the same one that shook the town and that had me realize that Boogey was coming around to find me.

"Yes, we did! We used one of Boogey's portals without him knowing! We stole it!" Barrel explained in a fast pace, in which the other two hushed him quickly so that he wouldn't say another word. But I wanted to hear more from them and the portal.

"Where is it?"

* * *

"We came from there." Locke pointed at the same markings that we saw earlier on the ground. This time we were joined by Snow White, Charming, Emma, Hook, Will, Regina, Robin Hood, and Belle along with August. We circled around the ruined symbol on the forest floor, already having me think back to when we first saw it come to life on the ground, or felt it implant itself in the earth. All this time I thought it was Boogey, but it was them: three mere innocent children who were caught doing his bidding for the longest time. They were warning me, and they succeeded.

"I've never encountered traveling from another realm like this," Regina explained, "And I researched it. Boogey was far too powerful to pull this off,"

"How did you three pull it off?" Will asked, intrigued.

"It's a bit hard to explain," Lock answered. He then reached into his pocket there along his hip and took out the other dice, holding it in his hand, "It's how he get around. He never left them behind, and we took them at the last minute."

"He would never leave those out of his sight, and yet you three got your hands on them," Jack commented, giving them a small smile, "Well done."

"So how do we open it?" Robin Hood questioned them. Lock placed the two iced in separate hands, facing the One side at each other before something like a magnet had them snap together almost by force. Now it looked like a rectangular piece than two square pieces. He then threw that piece right onto the ground in the middle of the mark on the floor.

The markings were now glowing, almost a neon purple and showing the curves and traces of the markings there as if it was brand new and fresh. Everyone took at least one step back when this happened, and the feeling of the portal being active in front of us was taking effect.

"So…we just go in it?" I asked hesitantly. No one wanted to say it as the three of the children walked over to stand in the middle. I was worried that they going to have something burst out or move when they touched the markings with their feet. But nothing moved or glowed, and they were right in the middle.

"This will take us back," Shock explained simply. I felt like now it was moving a bit too fast since I grew to know these people in Storybrooke. They help me find out my home, and how to get there. Now that it was achieved, it felt like I didn't need them anymore. My mission was done and complete, but something felt pretty numb in the chest.

"Oi, don't tell me you're gonna leave us without a proper goodbye," Will voiced, almost as if it was a tease but I knew he meant it. I finally turned around and faced all of them. They were giving me kind smiles as if they were beyond glad to see that I could go home. I think they were, they were heroes after all. I smiled at them, but I felt as though I was giving them a weak smile instead of a real smile. It felt like a weak smile since I didn't want to do this at all.

"Hopefully this means that you get to come back and visit," Hook suggested, Emma grinning next to him as he stumbled a bit with his next choice of words, "It's been quite eventful since you've come around, and I mean that in the best way possible Luv."

"I can agree with him on that one. You should come back," Belle said in an agreement. I locked eyes with August next to her, seeing almost a sad look on his face. He was the first true friend I had after I woke up with no memory and that last for years. I didn't want to lose him either since now it feels like I was losing him. Slowly I walked over to him and we both hugged there in front of the others. I felt that hug, down to my core in how many times we smiled and talked to each other.

"Don't forget you promised to visit," I reminded him as we released each other. He grinned at me, that small smile that I felt peaceful. This was the same thing as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Of course I will, as long as you can some and visit Storybrooke," He reminded me, Will coming over with his own smile on his face as he hugged me tightly.

"She better. I wanna see this Halloweentown as well!" He added to the conversation. Even with me moving back to my own home world. after almost dying at the hands of a madman who wanted me dead for the longest time, this departure didn't feel as though I was going to be gone forever. No one was in tears, no one was angry about it.

"I'll show all of you. That's a promise."


	13. Epilogue

November 1st

Present Day

I breathed in slowly, inhaling the morning scent that was lingering in the air as some of the morning light was coming into the room. The subtle and yet distinguished smell of soil, a hint of cinnamon and the last remains of the pumpkin cakes that were delivered to our house from last night's celebration was still lingering in the room, enough for me to slowly and yet calmly smile.

I was home.

The room I was in was dim, dark colors and tints of gray and cold along the walls and having Halloween decorations were still strung up that were harboring purples and oranges, along with some glamor and glitter. Even the furniture that seemed more like knick knacks were tainted in Halloween colors, obviously signifying our party last night for the holiday was a huge hit and success once again.

"It's too early, go back to sleep," I heard behind me in a grumble, having me chuckle slightly as I shook my head and sat up a bit to stretch out my hands above my head.

"It's not that early, it's late if we're going to be technical," I reminded, hearing a grumble behind me on the other side of the bed,

"I think it's too early," He retaliated.

"And I think someone had too much to drink for our celebration," I retorted back to him, finally moving out of the bed and placing my feet firmly on the ground, "I think you scared August a little bit,"

"He asked to see my Pumpkin King routine, it's his fault," I looked over my shoulder, seeing none other than my husband looking over at me with his head still shuffled into his pillow and his arms wrapped around it as if he was some kind of octopus. I could see his bare back against our dark gray bed sheets, the spare sheet pooled around his waist as he was eyeing me with his tired and yet handsome eyes.

"You need me to get you some of those herbs?" I asked, leaning back over to give him a kiss on the cheek, feeling his cool cheek against my lips. He moved to plant his gentle kiss my lips lightly.

"If it's not too much trouble," He commented.

"Never for you, Jack." I reminded him, ruffling his hair a bit more now as I finally moved up from my spot and back to a standing position, "And water. Hangovers are the worst but water calms them a bit,"

"You would know?" He asked almost in a groggy way.

"I've had times of hangovers while helping the Enchantress, so I do know how it feels," I explained, moving over to where the curtains there that were still keeping up in the darkness of the early morning. Once I pulled them open, I breathed in the crisp morning air and I smiled.

Halloweentown…..and it was beautiful.

It was a sight to me for someone who grew up in this small but great town. It was surreal coming back here after leaving Storybrooke with Jack, seeing the pitch black and twisted trees along the cobbled pathways and dark houses. For someone who's never been here before, it would seem so dull and almost draining with no blue skies, no white clouds, and no sense of lightness and joy.

There was joy, but in a different sense really. To me, it was home.

Jack made his glorious return, along with myself, and things were slowly coming back to normal. With all of those whom Boogey tormented, Jack and I tried to help out as best as we could. For some it was easy, others it was more difficult, and we both knew that it would be a long time before things could return back to the way it used to be. Jack wanted it that way: he wanted normalcy in his town that he "ruled" over, but after all that happened, he felt as though he didn't want all of that power on his own shoulders.

I didn't think I would remember this place once we came back, but it was coming back to me in waves, moment after moment I would remember something from my past, almost like a spark that went off. but other things I remembered were bittersweet, almost sour in my mouth.

Mainly, Dr. Finlkestein and his fortress: my old home.

"You don't have to go back there," Jack insisted as we both were standing in front of the old house that seemed more like a damned fortress in front of me. It brought me back to a part of myself that was still scared and almost lost within myself. It was making me sick to my stomach just looking at it again, and Jack was still holding my hand so gently and not moving away from me.

"I'm not going back in there," I reminded him, seeing him shift a bit from one foot to another and I bit my lower lip.

"You're gonna stay with me," Jack declared as we were about to walk away from the area when I spoke up one more time about it.

"I wanna burn it, all of it to the ground."

Next thing I knew it was a pile of charcoal and bad memories.

* * *

It felt like things were slowly coming back into place and that was perfect timing for us to get ready for Halloween. The holiday was bringing things back to the way they used to be: freights and spookiness all around. It was a new sense in the air: not like the old days where it was all or nothing. This time it felt different, beyond different. People were happy to have the holiday back, back to the way Jack ran it at least.

Even when he brought along the fireworks and the Halloween songs, I watched from afar with a small glint in my eye for my husband. After all, seeing him be himself out there for all to see was how I fell in love with him. I love how he moved with ease, the biggest smile on his face as if nothing phased him, and the wider he would have within his eyes.

I fell in love with him all over again.

I had to invite some of the others along from StoryBrooke, including Will and August. In fact, they were the only ones that came since the others were busy, which worked out better for me in the end because they got to attend one of our Halloween celebrations. Jack wanted it to be perfect for them since they were close enough to me, but just seeing their faces alone as the parade was going through the main square was enough for me to see that they were already amazed. The colorful lights and the amazing effects that the townspeople had while they were showing their abilities and their scare tactics.

Jack was, of course, the main source of the entertainment and boy did he play the part so well. I loved watching him from my spot on our porch as he was passing by in the parade. Will and August were with me, both of their eyes the size of saucers with each passing citizen and Jack was the last one to come through. I knew I watched this plenty of times before, even with one of memory still almost completely lost, I knew this from before. And I also knew that I watched it from afar before Jack and I were married or even knew of each other's feelings when I saw him as more than just a skeleton. I saw him, as everything.

He grinned at me as he passed me by, tossing a black rose over in my direction and having me catch it with ease as he gave me one more wink before going on with the parade. Will had a smirk from the black rose as August was looking at it with intrigue.

"Goes to show that everything around here is gloomy, eh?" Will asked me in amusement as he gazed at my rose on my right. Even August was looking at me with amusement, and I knew hew as fine with Jack and I. Not that he wasn't before, but since he had a protective hold on me and our friendship. I knew him since he was a young puppet and I saw him turn into a real boy, I helped him go back on the path that I knew he had to be on, so there was a connection with the both of us. Jack might have been the love of my life, but August and I had a different kind of love.

August was my better half.

"No," I replied to Will as we were watching the finale of the celebration, "Not everything's gloomy."

* * *

2 weeks earlier

"Halloweentown is more than secure," I was sitting next to Jack as we were meeting with some of the residents of Storybrooke. Sometime after I was back in my real home, we had to have a meeting, almost a sit down if you will, to make sure that nothing even close to the nature of what Boogey did would ever happen. If there was going to be a situation like that, we had to be ready.

"We need to make sure that all the realms that we know of have some kind of plan if something does happen," Regina explained to Jack and I, "I met with several other realms, including Oz and Wonderland, and they too are prepared."

"Should we be worried about another attack?" I asked, trying to sound secure when I said it but I was a bit nervous about some other villain that would want to attack us.

Both of my hands were on the round table that we were all sitting at, folded neatly with my ring finger showing my wedding ring that Jack gave me a few hours after we returned to Halloweentown. It was a vintage ring that looked like vines that were wrapped around a deep green gem on the top of the ring with two back stones on each side. To me it was breathtaking. Jack was wearing his own ring, all black and made from the bark of one of the trees in the cemetery though it shined from being polished.

"Not likely, from what I gathered with the other realms, we're in the clear as of now," Charming explained to me as he was next to Emma and Snow White, "None of the other realms have seen any sign of anything unusual."

"We still need to be careful, anyone can slip through the cracks," Regina said in agreement, "We got out lucky with Boogey, and he's not too and of a villain when it comes to power,"

"It was part luck and part fate since he was after me," Jack tried to argue, having me instantly look at him and see him almost beat himself up with the memory all over again, "I didn't know I was going to lead him to you all and get you all in danger…"

"Jack," I started, seeing him lock eyes with me, "That was not your fault. He's gone now, we don't have to worry about him anytime soon." He gave me a small smile, having me give my own warm grin at him t show that I was with him through and through.

"We can only look to being ready for anything else in the future," Emma said to the both of us to get our attention back to them, "If we can take on someone like Boogey than we can be more optimistic about anyone else that would want to come along."

"Not to mention I took out Stromboli, though he's not as powerful as Boogey was," I mentioned to her as well, "I'm going to back down in a fight if it's needed. I've fought enough villains to keep me on my toes."

"The more help we can get the better," Regina said in agreement, "Although there's nothing wrong with plenty of magic to take out those villains,"

"Better to have muscles in your corner if magic ever fails," I said as advice, not as something that was indeed cold to her. She thought about it more to herself as another thought popped into my head, "We still have the Enchantress to help us if we need it."

The conversation went one, some of it I was listening to and some of it I was zoning out. My own mind was going somewhere else, thinking of the past villains that I fought and how close I was to dying and never knowing where I came from. What brought me back was Jack, whom held my hand and laced our finger together once again like we've been doing this for decades. The warmth of skin, the gentleness of the pressure he was holding with, he was my anchor in all of this.

And I was his.

* * *

Present Day

I walked away from the window, finally getting over to our kitchen area that was on the other side of the room. Our home was mostly a loft, located on the second level only accessible with the stairs out front. Jack's Laboratory was on the lower level, which was convenient for him since he liked working for some hours through the night on new plans for the next Halloween. Everything was open and breezy in that loft, enough for me to even go through without seeing claustrophobic. I finally made my way to get some herb ready to give to Jack, along with a few aspirins that I knew I rebought along in my backpack from my previous kind of life.

"Do you miss it?" I heard far away from me, back over to where out bed was as I was mixing his drink to get it ready.

"Miss what?" I asked overly shoulder, multitasking.

"Miss helping the Enchantress…all of that life?" It made me pause when he asked me that, almost had me cock my eyebrow as to why he would ask something like that to me. He sounded curious, not crude about it, and it made me really think about it for a moment or two. My old life, going from place to place with nothing but a hope that my past would open up to me, to me that was all I knew and all that I cared about. but now that I had my life back, it was different now. A new feeling was now within my chest and it made me feel a bit more secure. There was no need to question where I came from, what kind of life I had.

I got the mug ready and steaming for him, slowly walking back over to see him sitting upright in the bed. His hair was disheveled, the covers pooling around his waist and his eyes were watching me both closely and softly while I got to sit across from him on the bed. Once I handed him the mug, seeing his bony fingers wrap around the ceramic mug I finally spoke up.

"I miss some of it," I admitted to him, "For me, most of it was just to find out where I came from. At first, I didn't care for it: I was too selfish in wanting to help others," I grinned at the thought and memory of meeting the Enchantress for the first time and how I was more stubborn then compared to now. But then I thought it Will, Belle, Cinderella and being one of her mice….I thought of August.

"That whole adventure turned out to be quite different than I thought, and I wouldn't take it back," I explained to him, seeing him grin at me. I loved seeing his smile, it already was melting me down from just one look from him. I was home with him, and though I had to go through a lot just to get back to him, I would do it all over again if I could.

I knew I would. All because we were simply mean to be.


End file.
